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BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


b  *2 


FREMONT'S  HUNDRED  DAYS  IN  MISSOURI. 

SPEECH  OF  SCHUYLER  COIFAX, 

OF  INDIANA, 

*     IN  REPLY  TO  MR.  BLAIR,  OF  MISSOURI,      '  * 

DELIVERED 

In  the  House  of  Representatives,  March  7,  1862. 


The  House  being  in  Committee  of  tlie  Whole 
on  the  state  of  the  Union — 

Mr.  COLFAX  said :  Mr.  Chairman,  I  did 
not  intend,  at  the  opening  of  my  friend's  re 
marks,  to  speak  on  this  subject  to-day ;  and 
therefore  am  but  illy  prepared  to  answer  his 
elaborate  argument  of  two  hours  in  length. 
But  I  am  gratified  that  the  House,  on  my  mo 
tion,  extended  his  time,  so  that  he  could  pre 
sent  the  whole  array  of  charges  at  once. 

While  I  differed,  as  is  known  to  him  and 
many  other  members  of  the  House,  with  the 
Administration,  which  I  assisted  to  elect,  as  to 
the  supersedure  of  Major  General  Fremont  in 
the  department  of  the  West,  I  desire,  lest  I 
-  might  be  misunderstood,  to  say  at  the  outset, 
once  and  for  all,  that  no  matter  what  gen 
eral  the  Administration  may  put  up  or  put, 
down,  I  shall  sustain  it  with  all  my  heart  and 
soul  and  strength  and  mind  in  every  military 
movement  that  it  makes  against  the  enemy.  I 
believe  it  to  be  our  duty  to  do  so.  It  is,  under 
God,  the  only  means  by  which  we  can  put 
down  this  gigantic,  satanic,  conspiracy  and  re 
bellion.  And  although  I  lament  the  superse 
dure  of  a  general  who  lives  to-day  in  the  loyal 
hearts  of  millions  of  the  American  people,  that 
can  make  no  difference  in  my  earnest  and  cor 
dial  support  of  the  Administration. 

I  pass  over  many  remarks  of  the  gentleman 
from  Missouri,  [Mr.  BLAIR,]  which,  I  am  sure, 
he  will  himself,  in  his  cooler  moments,  regret. 
He  has  seen  fit  %  mingle  personalities  with 
his  criticisms,  and  to  speak  of  a  gentleman  who 
holds  a  commission  as  major  general  in  the 
army  as  a  tool,  a  dupe,  a  designing  man.  I 
cannot  follow  the  gentleman  here.  The  sub 
ject  is  too  grave  to  be  thus  discussed. 

There  has  been  a  warm  friendship  between 
myself  and  the  gentleman  from  Missouri  almost 
since  our  boyhood,  arid  I  shall  not  suffer  a  sin 
gle  remark  to  fall  from  my  lips  which  could 
wound  him  or  any  friend  of  his,  or  any  member 
of  his  family.  I  rise  simply  to  vindicate  his 
tory,  and  to  prove,  from  the  records  of  the  day, 


that  my  friend  from  Missouri  has  had  his  feel 
ings  and  judgment  perverted,  or,  perhaps,  I 
should  rather  say  influenced,  by  prejudice.  He 
spoke  about  the  "  idolators"  of  Fremont.  My 
friend  has  not  used  the  word  fittingly.  Those 
whom  he  calls  the  idolators  of  Fremont  are  the 
men  who  stand  by  him  to-day,  just  as  my  friend 
did  from  the  commencement  of  his  acquaint 
ance  with  him  till  the  last  of  August,  18G1, 
up  to  which  time  he  was  his  warm,  his  devoted 
friend  and  admirer.  He  ought,  from  that  long 
acquaintance,  to  have  known  his  mind,  his  ca 
pacity,  his  judgment,  his  will.  In  August  he 
was  his  friend,  warm  and  true  ;  in  September 
he  was  not.  All  my  crime  is,  that  I  continue 
the  same  friendship  that,  in  common  with  him, 
I  had  in  August,  and  did  not  change  with  him 
in  September. 

Mr.  Chairman,  men  are  but  nothing  in  this 
struggle.  They  are  but  ciphers — the  whole  of 
them.  These  generals,  with  all  their  epaulets 
and  sashes,  are  but  the  instruments  by  which 
the  strong  arm  of  the  country  is  to  put  down 
this  rebellion.  Since  the  war  broke  out,  I  have, 
in  ray  humble  sphere  and  capacity,  endeavor 
ed  to  preach  the  doctrine  of  forbearance  and 
concord  and  unity,  and  have  implored  men  on 
all  sides  to  cease  depreciating  our  generals.  I 
have  said  that  when  they  go  forth  at  the  head 
of  their  armies  with  their  lives  in  tjaeir  hands, 
they  are  entitled  to  confidence  and  respect. 
When  the  Administration  supersedes  them, 
well  and  good  5  let  them  pass  away,  unless,  so 
far  as,  this  afternoon,  we  vindicate  the  past, 
without  saying  what  the  Administration  shall 
do  in  the  future.  I  say  this  as  to  General 
McClellan,  as  I  do  about  General  Fremont, 
and  every  other  general  commanding.  Whether 
the  Administration  shall  yield  to  the  wishes  of 
hosts  of  the  people  by  giving  General  Fremont 
another  command,  is  no  part  of  my  argument 
to-day.  I  have  no  right  to  dictate  on  this 
point ;  and  further  than  I  have  already  advised, 
I  shall  say  nothing. 

I  have  this,  also,  to  say  about  General  Fre- 


•  -l 
FlB  C.4, 


mont ;  I  do  not  take  him  to  be  perfect.  I 
know  that  all  men  are  fallible.  He  is  some 
times  an  impulsive  man.  He  has  feelings, 
like  all  of  us  who  are  made  of  flesh  and  blood. 
I  regret  very  much  that  he  suffered  this  publi 
cation  to  be  made,  which  the  chairman  of  the 
joint  committee  on  the  conduct  of  the  war  ob 
jected  to  to  day.  I  wish  that  he  had  bided  his 
time  a  little  longer.  For  six  months  he  has 
been  standing  with  closed  lips,  and  listen 
ing  to  the  allegations  against  him  with  a  re 
ticence  which  has  commanded  the  approbation 
not  only  of  his  friends  at  home,  but  of  thou 
sands  elsewhere  in  the  civilized  world,  waiting 
patiently  for  the  hour  of  his  vindication.  I 
•wish  he  could  have  waited  a  few  days  longer. 
But  I  think  that  something  ought  to  be  par 
doned  to  a  man  who  had  poisoned  arrows 
hurled  against  him  from  every  side,  and  who 
had  been  deposed  from  his  command  under 
circumstances  so  painful  and  trying. 

Without  disparaging  any  other  general,  I 
have  this  also  to  say  of  General  Fremont:  he  is 
the  only  major  general  of  the  army  who  has, 
in  this  war,  up  to  this  date,  gone  out  with  his 
troops,  away  from  his  headquarters — gone  out 
over  field  and  valley  and  mountain  and  plain 
and  river.  He  was  the  only  one.  I  suppose 
the  others  are  willing  to  do  it.  But  while  that 
record  lives — and  it  will  live  in  history — no 
man  will  believe  the  intimations  of  the  gentle 
man  from  Missouri,  that  Fremont  is  a  timid 
man.  The  schoolboy  at  the  log  school-house 
knows  very  well  that  there  is  not  a  particle  of 
timidity  about  the  man.  He  may  or  may  not 
have  been  fitted  for  the  command  of  the  depart 
ment  of  the  West.  I  sincerely  think  he  was.  But 
•whether  he  was  or  not,  he  is  a  brave  and  fear 
less  man.  He  has  braved  death  in  a  thousand 
forms,  and  has  written  his  name  high  up  on  the 
scroll  of  history  as  a  great  discoverer,  or  as  a 
great  adventurer,  if  you  will.  He  has  planted 
the  Stars  and  Stripes  on  the  highest  point  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  He  has  suffered  priva 
tion  and  suffering  and  toil  in  his  daring  jour 
neys.  His  cheek  has  not  blanched  in  the  pres 
ence  of  danger  or  of  death.  And  when  he 
knew  that  the  sword  of  Damocles  was  hanging 
over  his  head  by  a  single  hair,  he  went  forth 
with  his  army  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  to  pun 
ish  treason  with  the  sword,  and  encamped  with 
the  advance  guard,  instead  of  with  the  rear,  as 
is  usually  the  custom  of  commanding  generals. 
No,  sir;  General  Fremont  is  not  a  coward. 
He  has  no  timidity. 

Mr.  BLAIR,  of  Missouri.  My  friend  does 
not  state,  I  trust,  that  I  called  General  Fremont 
a  coward. 

Mr.  GOLF  AX.  The  language  that  my  friend 
used  was  "timidity,"  which  is  of  course  a  qual 
ified  degree  of  cowardice. 

Now,  in  relation  to  this  contract  for  the  con 
struction  of  earthworks  in  St.  Louis,  I  wish  to 
say  that  I  will  be  frank  upon  this  subject  as 
upon  every  other.  I  do  not  approve  of  that 


contract.  I  think  the  contractor  made  too  much 
money  out  of  it.  I  do  not  suppose  it  was  made 
upon  the  judgment  of  General  Fremont,  but 
that  he  yielded  to  the  opinions  of  the  heads  of 
the  engineer  department  about  prices.  I  think 
the  prices  were  too  high,  and  truth  compels 
me  to  say  so,  because,  when  I  stand  here  to  vin 
dicate  General  Fremont,  I  will  not  sacrifice  the 
truth  to  vindicate  him  or  anybody  else.  If  I 
speak  at  all,  I  must  express  my  convictions. 
But  admitting  that  there  was  extravagance  in 
Jbds  department,  I  ask  whether  every  otter  de 
partment  of  the  army  has  been  managed  with 
more  care  and  less  extravagance?  Has  not  the 
Government  been  imposed  on  even  here,  despite 
the  keenest  watchfulness  of  the  most  experi 
enced  officers,  some  of  whom  have  had  no 
military  duties  to  engross  or  distract  their 
minds? 

Adj.  Gen.  Thomas  says  in  his  report  that  two 
or  three  hundred  horses  were  found  unfit  for 
service  ;  that  they  were  lame  and  ringboned 
and  spavined,  although  it  is  not  proved  that 
Fremont  had  seen  a  single  one  of  them.  Well, 
sir,  when  I  came  to  Washington  at  the  begin- 
ing  of  the  present  session,  upon  looking  into 
the  Star,  I  noticed  the  sale  of  fourteen  hundred 
condemned  Government  horses,  of  the  army  of 
the  Potomac,  which  brought  prices  ranging 
from  twenty-five  cents  to  sixty  dollars.  Yet  my 
friend  had  no  denunciations  against  the  man 
agement  of  this  department.  In  time  of  war, 
in  conducting  operations  on  so  extensive  a 
scale,  the  experience  of  England  in  the  Cri 
mean  war,  and  of  all  other  nations  at  such 
times,  unfortunately  prove  that  it  is  not  to  be  ex 
pected  that  everything  would  be  precisely  right, 
that  all  articles  shall  be  suddenly  bought  of  the 
best  quality  and  at  the  lowest  prices.  I  noticed, 
also,  that  the  exhibits  attached  to  General 
Thomas's  report  contained  two  singular  com 
plaints  against  General  Fremont.  One  was  a 
complaint  by  General  Hunter,  that  Fremont 
had  ordered  him  into  the  field,  and  that  he  had 
forty  wagons  and  only  forty-one  mules.  And 
the  very  next  of  the  exhibits  was  a  complaint 
by  Quartermaster  Turnley,  within  a  few  days 
of  the  date  of  General  Hunter's  letter,  complain 
ing  that  Fremont  had  ordered  him  to  push  on 
the  inspection  of  mules  as  rapidly  as  possible. 
I  think  these  two  complaints  exactly  answer 
each  other.  But  how  could  Fremont  have  sat 
isfied  both  critics?  % 

My  friend  from  Missouri  vindicates  the  char 
acter  of  the  city  of  St.  Louis.  I  wish  I  could 
believe  all  he  says  about  the  loyalty  of  that  city, 
for  I  think  it  is  a  very  pleasant  city.  I  have 
spent  many  pleasant  days  there  ;  I  have  en 
joyed  not  only  the  hospitality  of  my  friend  from 
Missouri,  representing  the  St.  Louis  district, 
but  of  many  other  friends  in  that  city.  I  be 
lieve  witfi  him  that  the  great  body  of  the  work 
ing  men  of  that  city  are  loyal,  but  that  a  ma 
jority  of  the  men  of  wealth  and  high  social  po 
sition  there  are  disloyal. 


Mr.  BLAIR,  of  Missouri.  The  gentleman 
is  mistaken. 

Mr.  GOLF  AX.  I  cannot  yield  to  my  friend,  t 
at  least   until  I  have  finished  this  sentence,  j 
Why,  sir,  even  since  General  Halleck  assumed  I 
the  command  of  that  department  the  secession  ] 
candidates  for  officers  of  the  Chamber  of  Com 
merce  of  St.  Louis  were  elected  by  a  sweeping 
majority. 

Mr.  BLAIR,  of  Missouri.  It  is  true  that 
the  secession  candidates  were  elected  by  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  by  a  majority,  and  the 
same  fact  is  true  in  reference  to  the  Mercan 
tile  Library  Association  of  St.  Louis,  but  that 
only  shows  that  the  commercial  men  of  the 
city  were  largely  engaged  in  commerce  with 
the  South,  and  were  in  that  way  identified  with 
secession.  But  I  say  to  the  gentleman  that  I 
know  the  city  well,  and  I  know  that  the  two 
regiments  raised,  which  General  Lyon  took 
prisoners  at  Camp  Jackson,  were  all  the  seces 
sion  troops  they  could  raise,  and  all  they  could 
arm.  There  was  never  any  necessity  of  de 
claring  martial  law. 

Mr.  COL  PAX.  I  beg  to  say  to  my  friend  that  I 
know  something  about  St.  Louis,  though  not, 
of  course,  as  much  as  himself.  I  have  not  only 
visited  it  frequently,  but  I  read  the  newspapers 
published  there,  and  particularly  a  paper  which 
used  to  be  considered  his  organ,  but  I  believe 
is  not  now  a  favorite  of  his,  the  St.  Louis 
Democrat.  And  my  friend  knows  very  well 
that  in  the  case  of  the  Mercantile  Library 
Association,  every  effort  was  made,  both  by  the 
Unionists  and  secessionists,  to  carry  the  elec 
tion  ;  that  the  Union  men  paid  the  dues  of 
Union  members  in  arrears,  and  proposed  num 
bers  of  others,  qualified  for  admission,  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  their  votes,  but  never 
theless  were  defeated  by  a  large  majority. 

Mr.  BLAIR,  of  Missouri.  The  reason  why 
the  Union  men  left  the  Hall,  and  refused  to  par 
ticipate  in  the  meeting,  was,  that  a  hundred 
Union  candidates  to  become  members  were 
excluded  by  a  majority  of  the  old  members, 
under  a  technical  rule  requiring  one  day's 
notice  before  admission.  I  do  not  often  read 
the  organ  of  the  Fremont  party,  of  which  the 
gentleman  speaks,  but  I  think  I  am  pretty  well 
acquainted  with  the  facts,  nevertheless. 

Mr.  COLFAX.  I  have  no  doubt  of  it,  and 
my  friend  knows  very  well  that  these  members 
of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  who  elected  their 
secesson  candidate,  voted  for  him  openly  as 
such  in  face  of  the  United  States  military 
authorities  in  the  city.  They  made  no  pro 
fessions  of  zealous  loyalty,  as  many  secession 
ists  have  done  in  face  of  an  armed  force.  Their 
conduct  was  so  open  and  undisguised  that 
General  Halleck  ordered  every  one  of  the 
officers  elect  to  come  up  and  take  the  oath  of 
allegiance  ;  being,  I  believe,  the  first  civilians 
he  imposed  this  upon,  though  he  has  required 

since  more  extensively  still. 


Mr.  BLAIR,  of  Missouri.  The  gentleman 
will  allow  me  to  say 

Mr.  COLFAX.  I  cannot  yield  further.  I 
did  not  interrupt  my  friend  the  whole  time  he 
was  speaking. 

Mr.  BLAIR,  of  Missouri.  The  gentleman 
says  they  were  openly  secession 

The  CHAIRMAN.  The  gentleman  from 
Missouri  is  out  of  order.  The  gentleman  from 
Indiana  declines  to  yield. 

Mr.  BLAIR,  of  Missouri.  I  am  a  little  sen 
sitive  upon  this  point. 

Mr.  COLFAX.  Then  I  will  yield,  of  course. 

Mr.  BLAIR,  of  Missouri.  I  merely  desire 
to  say  that  these  men  did  not  vote  for  what  was 
called  a  secession  candidate,  but  for  a  man 
known  to  be  a  Union  man,  and  who  refused  to 
hold  the  office  after  he  had  been  elected. 

Mr.  COLFAX.  Still  the  statement  remains 
uncontradicted  that  he  was  voted  for  as  a  se 
cession  candidate  by  those  who  sympathized 
with  the  men  who  are  in  arms  against  the  Gov 
ernment,  and  was  elected  as  such. 

Mr.  Chairman,  I  know  that  the  mass  of  the 
people  of  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  the  working 
people,  as  I  sjaid  previously,  are  loyal-;  for,  sir, 
when  this  same  General  Fremont  came  back 
to  that  city  after  his  removal ;  when  he  came 
with  no  favors  to  confer,  but  degraded,  dis 
honored,  deposed  from  his  command,  the  loyal 
people  of  that  city,  who  had  heard  all  the 
charges  of  their  Representative  against  him, 
but  who  still  confided  in  him,  flocked  by  thou 
sands  and  tens  of  thousands,  with  banners  and 
torchlights,  and  music  and  shoutings,  to  wel 
come  him  as  no  man  was  ever  welcomed  there 
before.  Oh,  yes,  sir,  the  heart  of  the  people 
of  St.  Louis  is  loyal ;  they  have  proved  it  so. 

RESPONSIBILITY    FOB  THE    DEATH  OP    GENERAL 
LYON. 

My  friend  from  St.  Louis  has  quoted  docu 
ments  and  presented  arguments  to  prove  that 
General  Fremont  had  it  in  his  power  to  rein 
force  General  Lyon  before  the  battle  of  Spring 
field,  and  that  his  failure  to  perform  that  duty 
was  the  cause  of  General  Lyon's  death,  and 
these  I  desire  now  to  examine.  Sir,  the  death 
of  General  Lyon  occurred  on  the  10th  of  Au 
gust,  and  yet  the  friendship  of  the  gentleman 
from  Missouri  for  General  Fremont  continued 
undimiuished  for  weeks  after.  He  continued 
to  be  the  friend  of  the  man  whom  he  now  ar 
raigns  as  a  guilty  criminal ;  for  if  the  charges 
he  makes  are  proved,  General  Fremont,  in 
wilfully  suffering  the  death  of  that  gallant 
officer,  was  guilty  of  a  no  less  crime  than  mur 
der.  I  think  I  can  show  to  this  committee  that 
twenty  days  after  the  death  of  General  Lyon 
my  friend  from  Missouri  did  not  charge  Gen 
eral  Fremont  with  crime  in  failing  to  send  rein 
forcements.  I  will  read  the  dispatch  of  Cap 
tain  Schofield,  now  General  Schofield,  whom 
my  friend  knows ;  because  he  was,  I  believe^ 
connected  with  his  regiment  at  St.  Louis  when 


I  was  there.  I  want  to  show  the  reasons  why 
General  Lyon  was  not  reinforced,  and  I  shall 
show  it  in  a  way  my  friend  from  Missouri  can 
not  deny,  unless  he  denies  the  documents 
themselves.  In  his  dispatch,  as  adjutant  gen 
eral  of  General  Lyon,  dated  Springfield,  July 
15,  he  says  : 

"  Governor  Jackson  is  concentrating  his  forces  in  the 
southwestern  part  of  the  State,  and  is  receiving  large  rein 
forcements  from  Arkansas,  Tennessee, Louisiana,  and  Texas. 
His  effective  force  will  soon  be  certainly  not  less  than  thirty 
thousand  men,  probably  much  larger.  All  idea  of  any  fur 
ther  advance  movement,  or  of  even  maintaining  our  present 
position,  must  s(.on  le  abandoned,  unless  the  Government  fur 
nish  us  promptly  with  large  reinforcements  and  supplies.  Our 
troops  are  badly  clothed,  poorly  fed,  and  imperfectly  sup 
plied  with  tents  ;  none  of  them  have  yet  been  paid,  and  the 
three  mouths'  volunteers  have  become  disheartened  to  such 
an  extent  that  very  few  of  them  are  willing  to  renew  their 
enlistment.  The  blank  pay-rolls  are  not  here,  and  the  long 
time  required  to  get  them  here,  fill  them  up,  send  them  to 
"Washington,  have  the  payment  ordered,  and  the  pay -mas 
ter  reach  us,  leaves  us  no  hope  that  our  troops  can  be  paid 
for  five  or  six  weeks  to  come.  Upon  these  circumstances 
there  remains  no  other  course  but  to  urgently  press  upon 
the  attention  of  the  Government  the  absolute  necessity  of 
sending  us  fresh  troops  at  once,  with  ample  supplies  for 
them  and  for  those  now  here.  At  least  ten  thousand  men 
should  be  sent,  and  that  promptly.  You  will  send  the  inclosed 
despatch  by  telegraph  to  General  McClellan,  and  also  to  the 
War  Department,  and  forward  by  mail  a  copy  of  this  letter." 

This  is  directed  to  Chester  Harding,  jr.,  assist 
ant  adjutant  general  at  St.  Louis,  who  doubt 
less  sent  the  dispatch  to  General  McClellan  as 
requested,  and  here  is  the  dispatch,  dated  July 
20,  of  General  McClellan,  in  reply  : 
To  CHESTER  HABDING,  Jr,  Assistant  Adjutant  General  : 

In  case  of  an  attack  on  Cairo,  have  none  but  Illinois  troops 
to  reinforce,  and  only  eleven  thousand  arms  in  Illinois. 
Will  direct  two  regiments  to  be  ready  at  Caseyville  ;  but 
you.will  only  use  them  for  defence  of  St.  Louis,  and  in  case 
of  absolute  necessity.  Telegraph  me  from  time  to  timo. 

G.  B.  MCCLELLAN, 

Major  General  United  States  Army, 

He  could  not  allow  reinforcements  to  go  to 
the  support  of  General  Lyon  in  the  southwest. 
There  was  more  imminent  danger  he  felt  nearer 
by ;  and  he  pointed  to  Cairo  as  one  of  the  threat 
ened  points,  and  St.  Louis  as  another.  He  will 
11  direct  two  regiments  to  be  ready  at  Caseyville, 
but  you  will  ONLY  use  them  for  defence  of  St. 
Louis,  and  in  case  of  absolute  necessity."  Here 
is  a  dispatch  of  General  McClellan,  five  days  after 
Lyon's  appeal  for  troops  through  his  assistant 
adjutant  general,  and  six  days  before  General 
Fremont  arrived  at  St.  Louis,  declining  to  send 
reinforcements  to  General  Lyon.  And  now  I 
want  General  Lyon  to  speak  from  his  grave, 
and  answer  whether  he  considers  General  Fre 
mont  responsible  for  his  death. 

I  retd,  first,  a  letter  from  Lyon  himself  to 
Assistant  Adjutant  General  Harding,  at  St. 
Louis : 

SPRINGFIELD,  MISSOURI,  July  17, 1861. 

Sm:  I  inclose  you  a  copy  of  a  letter  to  Col.  Townsend 
on  the  subject  t.-f  an  order  from  Gen.  Scott,  which  calls  for 
five  companies  o;  the  second  infantry  to  le  withdraum 
from  the  West  and  sent  ><>  Washington.  A  previous  order 
withdraws  the  mounted  trocpt,  as  I  am  informed,  and  were 
it  not  that  some  of  them  were  en  route  to  this  place  they 
would  now  be  in  Washington.  This  order  carried  out 
•would  not  nmv  leave  at  Fort  Leavcnworth  a  single  company. 
1  have  companies  B  and  E  second  infantry  now  under  ord/'rs 
for  Washington,  and  if  all  these  troops  leave  me  I  can  do 
rmhinij,  and  mnst  retire  in  the  absence  of  oUter  troops  to 
supply  their  places.  In  fact,  I  am  badly  enough  off  at  the 


best,  and  must  utterly  fail  if  my  regulars  all  go.  At 
Washington  troops  from  all  the  Northern,  Middle,  and 
Eastern  States  are  available  for  the  support  of  the  army 
in  Virginia,  and  more  are  understood  to  be  already  there 
than  are  wanted,  and  it  seems  strange  that  so  many  trotps 
must  go  on  from  the  West,  and  strip  us  of  the  means  of 
defence  ;  but  if  it  is  the  intention  to  give  vp  the  West,  let  it 
~be  so. 

I  omit  a  severe  allusion  to  General  Scott,  be 
cause  I  do  not  wish,  by  reproducing  it  here, 
even  to  give  it  currency,  feeling  that  General 
Lyon,  in  his  great  anxiety,  did  him  injustice. 
The  letter  concludes : 

Cannot  you  stir  up  this  matter  and  secure  us  relief? 
See  Fremont  if  he  has  arrived.  The  want  of  supplies  has 
crippled  me  so  that  I  cannot  move,  and  I  do  not  know 
when  I  can.  Everything  seems  to  combine  against  me  at 
this  point.  Stir  up  Blair. 

Yours  truly, 

N.  LYON,  Commanding. 
Colonel  HARDiN7G7  St.  Louis  Arsenal,  Missouri. 

I  would  not  allude  to  my  friend's  brother  at 
all  if  it  had  not  been  that  he  himself  alluded  to 
him  in  his  speech,  and  the  only  allusion  I  shall 
have  occasion  to  make  to  him  is  the  one  I  am 
now  about  to  make.  I  wish  to  use  his  evidence 
to  show  why  General  Lyon  was  not  reinforced. 
On  the  26th  of  July  last,  Montgomery  Blair 
wrote  to  General  Fremont  as  follows  : 

WASHINGTON,  July  26, 1861. 

DEAR  GENERAL  :  I  have  two  telegrams  from  you,  but  find 
it  impossible  now  to  get  any  attention  to  Missouri  or  ^"(.-.st 
ern  matters  from  the  authorities  here.  You  will  have  to 
do  the  best  you  can,  and  take  all  needful  responsibility  to 
defend  and  protect  the  people  over  whom  you  are  specially 
set.  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  " 

Yours,  truly,  and  in  haste, 

M.  BLAIR. 

That  was  five  days  after  the  battle  of  Bull 
Run,  and  when  this  city  was  supposed  to  be  in 
imminent  danger ;  and  I  doubt  not  that  fact 
explains  why  the  West  was  comparatively  neg 
lected.  I  shall  assume  that,  and  blame  no  one, 
for  my  object  and  resolution  is  to  attack  no 
one  to-day,  but  to  simply  give  reasons  for  the 
faith  that  is  in  me. 

I  shall  read  now  some  more  extracts  from 
General  Lyon's  correspondence,  because  the 
one  I  have  read  was  not  the  only  protest  he 
made.  The  next  is  from  a  letter  from  General 
Lyon,  written  to  Colonel  Harding  on  the  day 
after  Fremont  reached  St.  Louis,  and  ten  days 
after  the  previous  letter.  He  says,  under  date 
of  July  27: 

"  If  the  Government  cannot  give  due  attention  to  the  West 
Her  Interests  must  have  a  corresponding  disparagement." 

And  in  a  memorandum  from  General  Lyon, 
sent  by  Colonel  Phelps  to  General  Fremont, 
dated  Springfield,  July  27,  he  says  : 

"  The  safety  of  the  State  is  hazarded  ;  orders  from  General 
Scott  strip  the  entire  West  of  regular  forces,  and  increase 
the  chances  of  sacrificing  it." 

But  I  wish  now  to  read  the  statement  of  his 
assistant   adjutant  general,  Colonel  Harding. 
It  is  long,  but  it  does  justice  to  the  dead  gen 
eral  and  to  the  living  general ;  and  it  is  written 
by  the  assistant  adjutant  general,  who,  from 
his  confidential  relations  with  his  chief,  knew 
his  thoughts  beat  of  all  men  now  living. 
"  Looking,  then,  to  the  position  of  affairs  in  this  State  on 
ie  26th  July,  1861,  it  will  be  found  that  Gen.  Lyon  was  in 


the  southwest,  in  need  of  reinforcements.  There  was 
trouble  in  the  northwest,  requiring  more  troops  than  were 
there.  In  the  northeast  there  were,  no  more  troops  than 
were  required  to  perform  the  task  allotted  to  them,  while 
in  tin;  south  and  southeast  there  was  a  rebel  army  of  .suffi 
cient  force  to  endanger  Bird's  Point,  Cape  Qirardeau,  Iron- 
ton,  Holla,  and  St.  Louis,  and  no  adequate  preparation  was 
made  to  meet  it. 

<k  Gen.  Fremont  sent  the  8th  Missouri  to  Cape  Girardeau, 
and  the  4th  U.  S.  Reserve  Corps  (whose  term  of  service  was 
to  expire  on  the  Sth  August)  to  reinforce  Bland  at  Ironton. 
He  took  some  of  Gen.  Pope's  force  from  him,  added  to  it 
two  battalions  of  the  1st  and  2d  U.  S.  Kes.-n  e  Corps,  (whose 
term  of  service  was  to  expire  on  the  7th  August.)  equipped 
Buel's  light  battery,  and  started  about  the  1st  August  for 
Bird's  Point,  with  the  troops  thus  collected,  being  some 
thing  less  than  3,800  men,  and  beino;  also. all  the  available 
troops  in  this  region,  expecting  to  find  an  enemy  not  less 
than  20,000  strong. 

"  Subsequent  events  showed  that  the  rebel  force  was  not 
overestimated,  and  nothing  but  the  reinforcements  sent  to 
the  points  above  named  and  the  expedition  down  the 
river  prevented  its  advance  upon  them  Common  report 
greatly  magnified  these  reinforcements;  and  it  was  gener 
ally  believed  in  the  city,  and  no  doubt  so  reported  to  the 
rebel  leaiers,  that  Fremont  had  moved  some  10.0UO  or  12,- 
OOa  troops  to  the  southeast,  while  in  fact  he  did  not  have 
over  5,50  ;>  to  move,  and  was  not  strong  enough  at  any 
point  to  take  the  field  and  commence  offensive  operations 

"  Gen.  Fremont  was  not  inattentive  to  the  situation .  .f  Gen. 
Lyou's  column,  and  went  so  far  as  to  remove  the  garrison 
of  Booneville,  in  order  to  send  him  aid." 

But  my  friend  from  Missouri  says  that  there 
were  quantities  of  troops  coming  into  St.  Louis 
who  could  have  been  detailed  to  reinforce  Gen 
eral  Lyon.  So  there  were  ;  but  hear  what  Col 
onel  Harding  says : 

"  During  the  first  days  of  August,  troops  arrived  in  the 
city  in  large  numbers.  Nearly  all  of  them  were  unarmed  ; 
all  were  without  transportation.  Regiment  after  regiment  laid 
for  days  in  the  city  ivithout  any  equipments,  for  the  reason 
that  Ike  arsenal  was  exhausted,  and  arms  and  accoutrements 
had  to  be  brought  from  the  East.  From  these  men  General 
Lyon  would  have  had  reinforcements,  although  they  were 
wholly  uupracticed  in  the  use  of  the  musket,  and  knew 
nothing  of  movements  in  the  field  ;  but  in  the  mean  time  the 
battle  of  the  10th  of  August  was  fought." 

And  yet,  when  they  were  entirely  without 
arms,  and  Fremont  sought,  at  this  very  time — 
the  6th  of  August — in  his  overwhelming  anxi 
ety  and  solicitude,  to  buy  any  kind  of  arms  to 
put  into  their  hands  to  protect  the  Unton,  afyi 
put  down  the  rebellion,  and  save  the  lives  of  our 
brave  soldiers  and  their  generals  at  all  the'ex- 
posed  points  in  his  department,  he  was  denoun 
ced  from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other  as 
being  in  the  hands  of  contractors,  and  in  cor 
rupt  collusion  with  knaves.  The  inferior  arms 
that  he  bought  at  this  critical  moment — in  his 
hour  of  direst  extremity — forms  one  of  the 
counts  of  the  Investigating  Committee's  indict 
ment  against  him.  If  this  is  justice,  God  save 
me  from  ever  being  in  any  position  in  this  Gov 
ernment  to  receive  such  justice  ! 

My  friend  stated,  and  I  took  down  the  exact 
words  that  fell  from  his  lips,  that  "  there  was  at 
that  time  no  necessity  to  reinforce  Cairo  from 
St.  Louis  5  that  it  could  have  been  reinforced 
from  other  directions."  Now,  I  differ  with  him 
on  that  point,  and  I  think  I  can  prove  that  I 
am  right.  Fremont  then  had  actually  but  little 
available  force  under  his  command.  Indeed, 
on  the  16th  of  July,  only  ten  days  before  Fre 
mont  reached  St.  Louis,  General  Lyon  had  had 
to  authorize  one  regiment  of  his  little  band  at 
Springfield  (Colonel  Brown's  fourth)  to  return 


;o  St.  Louis,  to  be  mustered  out  of  service,  at 
the  expiration  of  their  three  months'  enlistment 
The  three  months'  men  would  not  re-enlist,  be 
cause  they  could  not  get  their  pay.  The  West 
at  that  time,  in  the  pressure  from  the  East,  and 
:he  imminent  peril  of  the  Capital,  seemed  to 
3e  neglected.  The  troops  already  under  arms 
did  not  see  the  paymaster,  and  they  would  not 
re- enlist.  With  this  inadequate  force  and  this 
lack  of  arms,  Fremont  had  to  choose  between 
reinforcing  one  point  or  the  othes.  Now,  I 
submit  the  question  to  the  House  and  the  coun 
try,  which  of  those  two  points  was  the  most  im 
portant;  the  one  at  the  end  of  a  wagon  road 
in  southwestern  Missouri,  whence  Lyon  could 
possibly  retreat  if  he  felt  that  he  could  not  sus 
tain  his  position,  and  the  other  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Ohio  river,  where  it  joins  the  Mississippi, 
commanding  both  streams,  and  the  furthest 
point  south  of  which  we  had  possession? 
Which  was  the  most  important?  Should  they 
retire  from  Cairo  or  from  Springfield?  I  con 
tend,  that,  as  this  evidence  proves,  Fremont 
could  only  reinforce  one  of  these  points,  and 
he  went  down  to  Cairo  on  the  1st  of 'August. 
My  friend  insists  that  General  Prentiss's  dis 
patches  prove  that  he  did  not  stand  in  pressing 
need  of  reinforcements.  Let  us  see.  I  read 
now  what  General  Prentiss  said.  General  Pren- 
tiss  was  commanding  at  Cairo,  and  on  the  23d 
of  July  he  wrote  to  Colonel  Harding  as  follows : 

"  Have  but  eight  (8)  regiments  here.  Six  (6)  of  them  are 
three  (3)  months'  men  Their  lime  expires  this  week — are  re 
organizing  now.  I  have  neither  tents  nor  wagons,  and  must 
hold  Cairo  and  Bird's  Point." 

He  said  he  had  but  eight  regiments,  and  six 
of  them  were  three' months'  men,  and  their  term 
expired  that  very  week,  before  Fremont  could 
get  there,  leaving  only  two  certainly  available 
regiments  at  Cairo.  Now  let  us  see  what  was 
the  position  of  the  rebel  forces  in  the  vicinity 
of  Cairo.  I  read  again  from  General  Prentiss, 
under  date  of  July  28  : 
"  To  Major  General  FREMONT  : 

"  Rebels  from  Tennessee  are  concentrating  at  New  Mad 
rid,  Missouri,  with  avowed  intention  of  assaulting  Bird's 
Point.  They  may  intend  going  to  Cape  Girardeau.  Colonel 
Marsh  has  no  battery.  I  have  none  to  spare.  My  command 
is  merging  from  three  months'  to  three  years1  service  on  half 
recess.  Mustering  in  yesterday  and  to-day.  I  have  but  tioo 
six-pounders  prepared  to  move." 

We  come  down  now  to  July  29,  the  next 
day.  General  Prentiss  again  telegraphs  Fre 
mont;  and  you  will  see  that  the  danger  is 
daily  becoming  more  imminent: 

"  On  yesterday  3,000  rebels,  west  of  Bird's  Point  40  miles'. 
300  at  Madrid,  and  three  regiments  from  Union  City  or 
dered  there;  also  troops  from  Randolph  and  Corinth- 
The  number  of  organized  rebels  within  fifty  miliv  of  , 
exceed  twelve  thousand — that  is  including  Randolph  troops 
ordered  and  not  including  several  companies  opposite  in 
Kentucky." 

Again,  on  the  1st  day  of  August,  he  tele 
graphed  General  Fremont  a  still  darker  pros 
pect,  as  follows.  (New  Madrid  is  on  the  Mis 
sissippi  river,  south  of  Cairo,  and  not  very  dis 
tant:) 

"The  following   information  just  received  is,  I  be 
very  reliable.     General  Pillow  was  at  New  Madrid  on  the 


6 


Morninq  of  (lie  Sift,  with  eleven  thousand  troops  well  armed 
and  well  drilled;  two  regiments  of  cavalry  splendidly  equipped; 
one  battery  of  1lijing  artillery,  ten  pounders ,  an  >  ten  guns 
manned  and  officered  by  foreigners  ;  several  mountain  how 
itzers  and  other  artillery,  amounting  in  all  to  one  hundred. 
Nine  thousand  more  moving  to  reinforce.  He  has  promise* 
Governor  Jackson  to  place  twenty  thousand  men  in  Mis 
souri  at  once.  I  have  a  copy  of  his  proclamation  and  also  | 
one  of  his  written  passes." 

These  dispatches  came  pouring  in  upon  Gen-  j 
eral  Fremont  from  this  exposed  and  important 
position,  vital  not  only  for  Illinois  but  for  the  j 
whole  Union,  where  there  were  but  eight  regi-  j 
ments,  only  two  of  which  they  had  a  right  to  j 
hold    there,  the   remaining   six    being    three  i 
months'  men  whose  term  had  expired,  and  the  \ 
rebels  were  forming  round  them  twenty  thou   j 
sand  strong.     McClellan,  but  ten  days  before,  j 
had,  in  reply  to  Lyon's  appeals,  in  the   tele-  j 
gram  I  have  quoted,  expressly  pointed  to  Cairo  j 
as   a  threatened   position,  and  had  alluded  to 
the  inadequate  forces  at  his  command  even  for 
its  defence.      What  should  an  officer  do  under 
such  circumstances?  "Fremont  did   the    best  | 
he  could  ;  he  got  together  all  the  men  he  could, 
and  went  down  with  steamboats  to  Cairo.  And 
for  this  he  was  condemned  all  over  the  coun 
try,  because  he  went  down  there  with  steam 
boats   and  u  made  a  parade,"  when  really  it 
was   useful,  because   it   impressed  the   seces-  j 
sionists  and  capitalists  of  St.  Louis  with  the  | 
conviction  that  he  had  a  larger  force  than  he  | 
really  had.     But  let  me  say,  in  passing,  just 
here,  that  great  complaint  was  made  because 
General  Fremont  went  down  to  the  boat  in  a 
carriage  and  four.     My  friend  did  not  speak  of  j 
it,  but  the  charge  has  been  in  circulation  all 
over  the  country.   Now,  the  facts  in  relation  to 
that  matter  are  just  these,  as  I  learned  at  St. 
Louis.     His   friends,   without  his    knowledge, 
when  the  expedition  was  ready  to  start,  brought 
a  carriage  and  four  to  his  house  for  him  to 
ride   down    to   the   boat  in.     When  Fremont 
came  to  the  door,  and  saw  it,  he  positively  re 
fased    to  ride  in  it,  preferring  to  walk  to  the 
levee  or  to  go  in  an  ordinary  carriage.     Bat 
his  friends  told  him  that  it  had  been  said  that 
he   dare  not  show  himself  to  the   people  for 
fear  of  being  assassinated,  and  it  was  neces 
sary  that  he    should  go  down   to  the  boat  as 
publicly  as  possible,  in  order  to  show  that  there 
was  no  truth  in  the  report;  and  thereupon  Fre 
mont  consented  to  enter  the  carriage,  and  this 
was  added  to  the  charges  against  him. 

I  have  heard  a  great  deal,  too — and  the 
Housf  will  pardon  me  for  these  digressions,  as 
a  few  incidental  points  strike  my  mind  while 
speaking — about  a  costly  $6,000  house  which 
he  hired  in  St.  Louis  for  himself  and  his  staff. 
I  have  been  in  that  house,  and  so  has  my 
friend  from  St.  Louis  ;  for  at  one  time  both  he 
and  I  were  able  to  pass  its  "  barricades."  Other 
generals  and  other  officers  have  found  that 
they  must  exclude  most  of  the  thousand  visit 
ors  desiring  to  see  them  if  they  wished  to  at 
tend  to  their  grave  and  responsible  trusts;  but 
from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other  Fre 


mont  was  denounced  for  these  barricades.  I 
found  out  this  in  regard  to  that  celebrated 
house  :  that  the  officers  crowded  into  that  one 
house,  where  they  were  at  the  instant  call  of 
the  commanding  general,  no  time  lost  in  send 
ing  messengers  from  one  office  to  another,  but 
all  under  the  same  roof,  and  the  telegraph  with 
them,  would,  if  they  bad  been  in  separate  quar 
ters,  have  been  allowed,  under  the  -*rmy  regu 
lations,  $6  400  for  quarters.  Fremont  paid 
$6,000  a  year  for  this  house,  and  yet  he  has 
been  denounced  for  that  as  an  evidence  of  his 
reckless  extravagance. 

There  is  another  thing  to  which  I  wish  to 
refer  before  I  leave  these  minor  points.  When 
I  reached  St.  Louis  at  one  time.  I  heard  a  gr^at 
many  sneers  about  Fremont  having  ordered  five 
hundred  tons  of  ice,  and  about  the  glorious 
time  he  and  his  staff  would  have  with  their  sherry 
cobblers,  &c.,  on  their  march  to  southwest  Mis 
souri.  I  made  inquiry  about  it,  and  found  that 
it  was  on  a  requisition  from  the  surgeon  that 
this  ice  was  supplied.  It  was  not  to  accompany 
the  army,  but  to  be  used  in  the  hospitals  along 
the  railroads,  where  the  sick  were  suffering, 
and  to  which  the  wounded,  after  battle,  would, 
if  possible,  have  been  brought.  It  made  my 
heart  bleed  to  think  that  the  General  com 
manding  should  be  denounced  for  this.  In 
some  of  the  Indiana  regiments,  my  own  fellow- 
citizens,  for  whose  sufferings  in  the  field  or 
the  hospital  I  have  felt  deeply,  nearly  half 
the  men  were  lying  sick  from  fevers  con 
tracted  by  malaria  and  exposure,  and  because 
they  were  not  used  to  the  muddy  water  of  the 
Missouri.  Aft»r  they  went  into  hospital,  and 
drank  the  same  water,  they  continued  sick.  One 
regiment,  the  twenty-second,  had  a  majority  in 
hospital  from  the  malaria  and  the  drinking  of 
this  water.  The  surgeons  asked  for  ice  for 
l|pspital  purposes,  for  the  sick  and  suffering  men 
who  had  gone  out  to  fight,  to  suffer,  and  to  die, 
if  needs  be,  for  their  country.  And  for  yield 
ing  to  that,  and  showing,  as  he  always  has,  a 
deep  solicitude  for  the  men  under  his  command, 
Fremont  was  denounced  in  St.  Louis  and  all 
over  the  country.  Let  the  denunciation  go  on. 
The  brave  men  whrse  parched  lips  were  thus 
cooled  will  not  forget  the  man  who  has  been 
thus  condemned  for  this  additional  act  of  "ex 
travagance." 

But,  Mr.  Chairman,  I  have  no  time  to  ex 
amine  and  explain  all  the  charges — "  thick  as 
the  leaves  in  Vallambrosa" — which  have  been 
made  against  him.  The  balance,  or  most  of 
them,  at  least,  are  of  a  piece  with  those  to 
which  I  have  alluded.  Let  them  all  pass. 

THE  SADDEST  DAYS  1ST  MISSOURI. 

My  friend  says  that  the  "  hundred  days"  of 
Fremont  were  the  saddest  days  for  all  the  loyal 
persons  in  Missouri  that  they  had  seen.  I 
differ  with  him  in  that.  There  was  a  sadder 
day  for  them  than  those.  It  was  after  Fre 
mont  was  deposed,  and  after  this  army  that  had 


gone  forth  with  banners  and  music  to  south 
western  Missouri,  and  the  enemy  fleeing  before 
them,  took  up  its  line  of  merch  back  to  the 
line  of  the  railroad,  and  the  more  densely  pop 
ulated  settlements.  The  people  of  southwestern 
Missouri,  who,  in  the  exuberance  of  their  zeal, 
when  they  saw  the  Stars  and  Stripes  borne  by 
Fremont's  army,  had  clapped  their  hands  with 
joy,  and  proclaimed  themselves  for  the  Union — 
these  men,  from  the  very  heights  of  confidence 
and  hope,  were  plunged  into  the  very  valley  of 
despondency  by  this  forward  movement  being 
changed  into  a  retreat.  And  when  the  army 
took  up  its  backward  march,  they,  knowing 
what  fate  they  might  expect  to  meet  from  the 
vengeance  of  the  rebel  hordes  of  Price— the 
halter,  the  prison,  outrage  and  robbery,  tyran 
ny  and  spoliation — followed  that  army,  with 
their  sorrowing  families,  in  sad  procession, 
back  to  St.  Louis,  penniless  and  homeless, 
when,  had  Fremont  not  been  superseded,  the 
army  would  have  gone  on  with  the  banner 
they  had  welcomed  full  high  advanced,  instead 
of  coming  back  and  leaving  all  southwest  Mis 
souri  to  be  ravaged  by  traitors,  un.til  three 
months  afterwards  a  more  fortunate  general 
led  another  army  over  the  same  route  that  Fre 
mont  had  trodden,  and  on  the  same  mission. 
No,  sir  ;  that  was  the  saddest  day  that  the  loyal 
men  of  Missouri  had  ever  seen. 

FREMONT'S  PROCLAMATION. 

My  friend  has  said  that  the  proclamation  of 
General  Fremont  was  bombastic.  I  cannot 
turn  aside  from  this  argument  to  analyze  its 
sentences  and  to  discuss  the  question  whether 
it  was  bombastic  or  firm  and  decided  ;  whether 
it  was  a  mere  flourish  of  the  pen,  or  intended 
to  prove  that  those  who  embarked  in  rebellion 
should  find  it  a  costly  experiment,  not  only  as 
to  their  lives,  but  also  as  to  their  possessions. 
The  President  modified  it,  as  he  had  a  consti 
tutional  right  to  do.  I  have  never  quarreled 
with  the  President  because  he  saw  fit  to  say 
that  that  proclamation  must  be  changed.  I 
regret  that  ,he  was  of  that  opinion.  But  I 
know  Mr.  Lincoln  to  be  an  honest  man — as 
honest  and  as  conscientious  and  true-hearted  a 
man  as  walks  the  earth  ;  and  I  know  he  must 
have  taken  this  position  because  he  felt,  look 
ing  over  the  whole  country,  that  that  seemed 
to  be  his  duty.  Whether  he  erred  or  Fremont 
erred,  I  would  be  the  last  man  to  asperse  any 
of  Mr.  Lincoln's  acts,  when  they  are  based,  as 
all  know  they  are,  on  his  convictions.  When 
the  President  ordered  the  proclamation  to  be 
modified,  General  Fremont  replied  in  a  letter, 
moderate  and  not  u  bombastic,"  wherein  he 
says  he  prefers,  if  the  President  feels  it  neces 
sary,  he  should  himself  modify  it;  and  that  he 
would  bow  to  the  order,  as  a  subordinate  should 
always  bow  to  the  rebuke  of  his  chief.  The 
following  was  his  reply  to  the  President's  dis 
sent  from  his  proclamation : 

"  Trusting  to  have  your  confidence,  I  have  been  leaving 


it  to  event*  themselves  to  show  you  whether  or  not  I  was 
soaping  affairs  here  aw..rdii,K  t,,  ymr  Ideas  The  hortest 
communication  between  Washington  and  St  Louis  • -m-rally 
involves  two  days.and  the  employment  of  two  days  iu  tinre 
of  war  goes  largely  toward  th"™ 

tore,  went  along  according  to  my  own  Judgment    ieatiae 
the  result  <»t  my  movement  to  justify  me  will,  . 
in  regard  to  my  proclamation  ol  August  30th.    B  >tw  :en  the 
rebel  armies,  the  Provisional  Government,  and  h..,,,,.  trai- 
tors,  I  felt  the  position  b.id,  and  s  iw  .1  •  .jj.,^ 

I  decided  upon  the  proclamation, and  tl,«-  form  <>t  it.  : 
it  the  next  morning  and  printed  it  u,e.  s-inv  day      I  did  it 
without  consultation  or  advice  witn  any  one  actin-'  solely 
with  my  best  judgment  to  serve  the  country  and  yourself 
and  i  erfecfly  willing  to  rec-iv  theamoantol  censure  which 
should  be  thought  due  if  I  made  a  false  movement      This  is 
as  much  a  movement  in  the  war  as  a  battle;  and  m  going 
into  these  I  shall  have  to  act  according  to  my  judgf, 
the  ground  before  me,  as  I  did  on  this  o  'ipon 

reflection,  your  better  judgment  still  decides  that  I  am 
wrong  in  the  article  respecting  the  liberation  of  slaves  I 
have  to  ask  that  you  will  openly  direct  me  to  m 
rection.     The  implied  censure  will  be  received  as  a  soldier 
always  should  the  reprimand  of  his  chief.     If  I  were  to  re 
tract  of  my  own  accord  it  won!"  imply  that  I  myself  thought 
it  wrong,  and  that  I  had  acted  without  the  reflection  which 
the  gravity  of  th«  point  demanded.    But  I  did  not.     1 
with  fuli  deliberation,  and  upon  the  certain  conviction  that 
it  was  a  measure  right  aud  necessary;  and  1  ti. 

I  think  my  friend  might  have  spared  the 
sarcastic  remarks  which  he  made  about  the 
threatened  mutiny  at  Springfield  when  General 
Fremont  was  removed  from  command.  I  have 
the  assurance  of  a  gentleman  from  Indmna, 
whose  word  is  as  goori  as  mv  oath,  or  any  other 
man's  oath — I  mean  Col.  Hudson,  the  asrent  of 
the  State  of  hid  ana — who  was  there  at  the  time, 
that  there  was  sadness  all  over  the  camp  when 
the  news  came  that  Fremont  was  actually  su 
perseded.  This  may  have  been  unjust  to  his 
successor.  It  may  have  been  unwarranted  ;  but 
still  the  fact  was  so.  The  fact  also  exists  that 
Fremont's  utmost  influence  was  promptly  ex 
erted  to  preserve  subordination  among  his  troops. 
He  bowed,  without  a  murmur,  to  the  decision, 
though  it  took  from  him  the  coveted  opportuni 
ty  of  vindicating  himself  againsi  all  who  had 
attacked  him,  and  he  demanded  that  all  under 
his  command  should  cordially  obey  his  suc'-es- 
sor.  His  farewell  to  the  "  Mississippi  army  " — 
which  he  had  labored  so  earnestly,  asrahut  all 
adverse  circumstances,  to  organize;  which  he 
had  led,  by  forced  marches  that,  seem  incredi 
ble,  almost  into  the  presence  of  the  retreating 
enemy,  and  which  was  the  only  army  o»  the 
Union  that  had,  up  to  that  time,  b-en  I'd  fi'tj 
miles  away  from  a  railroad  or  a  navigable  water 
course — has  been  read,  not  only  in  our  own  but 
also  in  foreign  lands,  even  by  men  who,  with 
the  multiplied  charges  against  him,  had  doubted 
his  capacity,  with  moistened  eyes,  as  they  saw 
how  nobly  that  man,  thus  stricken  do-vn,  fell 
without  a  word  of  complaint,  and  closed  his 
military  career  in  the  western  deparm«nt  by 
stirring  words  of  encouragement  to  the  sralUnt 
soldiers  from  whom  he  was  thus  separated. 
Even  one  of  the  leading  New  York  papers  that  de 
nounced  him  spoke  in  highly  eulogistic  language 
of  the  manner  in  which  he  met  his  fate.*  And 

*  HEADQUARTERS  WESTERN  DEPARTMENT, 

Springfield,  J/b.,  Nov.  2,  1861. 
Soldiers  of  the  Mississippi  Army :  Agreeably  to  orders  this 


8 


have  passed  since  then.  Has  there  been  a  man 
who  bore  himself  so  meekly  ?  He  visits  New 
York,  after  official  consent  was  at  last  obtained 
for  him  to  leave  St.  Louis,  and  refuses  the  com 
plimentary  reception  that  thousands  would 


when  twenty  thousand  of  the  constituents  of  my  I  as  a  commanding  general,  desiring  thus  to 
friend  from  Ohio.  [Mr.  GURLEY,]  'who  had  been  weaken  the  power  and  cripple  the  resources  of 
on  his  staff,  came  thronging  to  honor  the  fallen  the  traitors,  embodied  it  in  a  proclamation,  as 
General,  and  offered  him  an  ovation  in  the  city  the  Senator  did  in  a  sentence. 
of  Cincinnati,  he  declined  it,  and  passed  through 
without  accepting  any  hospitality,  six  months 

I  come  now  to  the  siege  and  fall  of  Lexing 
ton.  I  think  I  have  shown,  by  General  Lyon's 
own  statement,  that  he  did  not  arraign  Fre 
mont  for  not  being  strengthened  and  succored ; 
and  I  should  have  added  then  that  Fremont 

gladly  have  joined  in.  No  word  of  bitterness  I  arrived  in  St.  Louis  only  fourteen  days  before 
or  complaint  falls  from  his  lips.  He  comes  to  Lyon's  death.  I  have  shown  where  General 
this  city,  subpoenaed  by  a  congressional  coin-  Lyon  thought  the  responsibility  rested.  I  have 
mittee,  to  testify  as  to  his  management  of  his  shown  the  dispatch  from  General  McClellan, 
responsible  trust.  He  comes  here,  and  bears  only  six  days  before  Fremont  arrived  at  St. 
himself  as  modestly  a*  in  New  York.  Do  you  Louis,  saying  that  there  were  only  enough 
see  any  parade  of  his  gaping  wounds  to  the  troops  and  arms  to  reinforce  Cairo,  and  that  the 
people  ?  Not  at  all.  He  has  not  even  prompt-  troops  he  could  spare,  and  but  two  regiments 
ed  me  to  say  a  single  word  in  his  behalf,  at  that,  must  only  be  used  to  defend  St.  Louis, 
although  he  knows  me  to  be  his  friend.  I  have  and  only  then  "  in  case  of  absolute  necessity." 
not  asked  him  for  a  single  fact  in  reference  to  I  will  now  leave  that  part  of  the  subject  and 
his  case,  because  I  wanted  to  speak  independ  come  to  the  surrender  of  Mulligan  at  Lexing- 
etly  here,  as  a  Representative  of  the  people,  ton.  I  think  I  can  make  out  as  strong  a  vin- 
He  doubtless  longs  to  be  in  the  service  of  his  dication  for  General  Fremont  there.  I  am 
country  at  this  hour  of  her  peril.  And  though  glad  to  see  that  my  friend  from  Missouri  is  pay- 
he  may  chafe  at  inaction,  as  his  heart  bounds  ing  so  much  attention.  The  attachment  be 
at  the  thought  of  being  again  at  the  head  of  tween  him  and  me  has  been  such,  that  it  is  the 
advancing  squadrons  driving  the  enemies  of  most  painful  duty  of  my  life  to  have  to  differ 
the  country  before  him,  have  you  seen  a  single  from  him  to-day  on  such  a  subject.  I  would 
line  of  complaint  from  his  pen  against  those  far  rather  meet  any  one  else  here  in  the  colli- 
who  counseled  his  supersedure  ?  sion  of  conflicting  views  ;  but  we  can  differ,  I 

But,  to  recur  to  his  proclamation.  Let  me  know»  as  friends  should  differ  when  their  roads 
ask  what  difference  was  there  in  substance  be-  separate^ 
tween  that  proclamation  and  the  celebrated  re-  M?  fflQ^  said  that  troops  could  be  got  in 
mark  in  Cincinnati  of  ANDREW  JOHNSON,  that  evei7  direction  to  defend  Cairo.  Now  here  is  a 
loyal,  Jacksonlike  and  heroic  Senator  from  dispatch  from  Governor  Morton,  of  Indiana,  in 
Tennessee,  whom  all  true  men  in  the  country  response  to  Fremont's  pressing  appeal,  dated 
cherish  in  their  heart  of  hearts  ?  He  said,  about  tbe  4th  of  .August,  three  days  after  Fremont 
the  very  time  when  Fremont  issued  his  proc  w.ent  *?  Cairo,  and  six  days  before  Lyon  was 


lamation,   •'  that  no   rebel   had  a  right  to  own 

anything."  Fremont  said  that  the  real  and  I  "  Can  send  five  regiments  if  leave  is  granted  by  the  De- 
personal  property  of  rebels  should  be  confisca-  £J?Jm<!?tj  as  z  am  ordered  to  send  them  East  as  fast  as 
ted  to  the  public  use,  and  that  their  slaves,  if  n 

they  had  any,   should   be  declared  free  men  ;  Now,  to  show  also  how    General  Fremont 

and  ANDREW  JOHNSON,  a  slaveholding  Senator  was  "aided"  at  that  time,  here   is  a  dispatch 

from  a  slaveholding  State,  said  that  no  rebel  from  Washington,  eight  days  before  Lyon  died, 

had  a  ri^ht  to  own  anything.     I  can  see  no  dif  an<*  when  Cairo,  from  General  Prentiss's  dis- 

ference  between  the  two,  except  that  Fremonr,  patches,  was  so  bare  of  artillery : 

WASHINGTON,  August  2, 1861. 

day  received,  I  take  leave  of  you.    Our  army  has  been  To  Major  Gen.  J.  C.  FREMONT,  Cairo: 

of  sudden  growth,  and  we  have  grown  up  together,  and  I  This  dispatch  was  sent  yesterday  to  commanding  officer 

nave  become  iamiliar  with  the  brave  and  generous  spirits  department,  Ohio,  Cincinnati.     Order   two    (2)   companies 

which  you  bring  to  the  defence  of  your  country,  and  which  fourth  artillery,  with  their  batteries,  under  Howard  and 

^^S^ffS^iSL  ^.'lbi:mlaut  carcer'  Kingsbury,  to  St.  Louis  without  delay.' 


Continue  as  you  have  begun,  and  give  to  my  successor 
the  same  cordial  and  enthusiastic  support  with  which  you 
have  encouraged  me.  Emulate  the  splendid  example  which 
you  have  already  before  you,  and  let  me  remain  as  I  am 
proud  of  the  noble  army  which  1  have  thus  far  labored  to 
Dnng  together. 

Soldiers,  I  regret  to  leave  you  most  sincerely  I  thank 
you  for  the  regard  and  confidence  you  have  invariably 
shown  to  me.  I  deeply  regret  that  I  shall  not  have  the 
honor  to  lead  you  to  the  victory  which  you  are  just  about 
to  win  ;  but  I  shall  claim  to  share  with  you  in  the  joy  of 
every  triumph,  and  trust  always  to  be  fraternally  remem- 
lered  by  my  companions  in  arms. 

JOHN  C.  FREMONT, 
Major  General  U.  S.  A. 


WINFIELD  SCOTT. 
M.  BLAIR,  P.  M.  O. 

I  doubt  not  Fremont's  heart  bounded  as  he 
read  of  this  timely  aid  coming  to  his  relief. 

But  here  is  another  dispatch  from  General 
Scott  of  the  same  day  : 

WAR  DEPARTMENT, 
Washington,  August  2,  1861. 
To  General  FREMONT  : 

Since  ordering  the  two  batteries  for  you  yesterday,  it  ap- 
P.ears  one  company  has  no  guns  and  the  other  is  in  Western 
Virginia;  neither  can  be  withdrawn.  The  order  is  coun 
termanded.  WINFIELD  SCOTT. 


I  will  not  comment  on  the  disappointment 
the  General  must  have  felt ;  but  he  toiled  on 
with  almost  daily  drawbacks  like  these. 

I  come  now  to  Lexington.  I  happened  on 
the  14th  of  September  to  be  in  the  city  of  St. 
Louis,  when  the  whole  city  was  excited  at  the 
news  which  had  just  reached  it  that  Price  was 
inarching  on  that  gallant  and  devoted  band  at 
Lexington ;  and  when  my  friend  spoke  about 
the  home  guards  which  General  Fremont  had 
under  him,  it  reminded  me  that  Colonel  Mulli 
gan  did  not  bear  testimony  to  the  efficiency  of 
the  home  guards  at  Lexington. 

Mr.  BLAIR,  of  Missouri.  If  Colonel  Mulli 
gan  made  such  a  statement,  he  is  not  as  mag 
nauimous  as  he  is  brave.  I  will  undertake  to 
prove  that  the  home  guards  in  the  trenches  a 
Lexington  bore  themselves  as  gallantly  as  did 
Colonel  Mulligan,  or  any  other  man  who  was 
there.  Colonel  Grover  was  wounded,  and  died 
of  his  wounds  ;  Colonel  Peabody  was  badly 
wounded  ;  Colonel  White  is  still  disabled  by 
wounds  received  in  that  fight;  and  'the  gallant 
major  of  the  Kansas  City  home  guards,  whose 
name  at  this  moment,  1  am  ashamed  to  say, 
has  slipped  my  memory,  also  received  honora 
ble  wounds.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  com 
manding  officer  of  every  battalion  of  home 
guards  was  wounded  ;  and  as  large  a  propor 
tion  of  men  were  killed  and  wounded  as  among 
the  Illinois  regiments.  No  man  should  dispar- 
age^  those  who  have  shed  their  blood  for  the 
country. 

Mr.  COLFAX.  Colonel  Mulligan's  testi 
mony  is  the  reverse  of  that.  I  was  not  there, 
and  therefore  do  not  know. 

Mr.  BLAIR,  of  Missouri.  These  are  the  facts 
of  the  case. 

Mr.  COLFAX.  I  wish  my  friend  to  under 
stand  that  I  do  not  arraign  the  home  guards  at 
all.  I  do  not  arraign  anybody.  I  am  simply 
on  the  defence,  and  am  stating  the  facts  from 
history,  and  from  official  documents,  which 
can  be  read  by  the  whole  country.  I  only 
made  the  passing  remark  that  Mulligan  did 
not  regard  the  home  guards  as  valuable  auxili 
aries  in  his  defence,  though  my  friend  cites 
their  number  in  various  towns  as  part  of  Fre 
mont's  effective  force. 

When  I  arrived  at  St.  Louis  on  the  14th  of 
September  I  saw  Lieutenant  Governor  Hall. 
He  told  me  that  Price  was  marching  through 
the  centre  of  Missouri,  up  toward  Lexington, 
with  fifteen  thousand  men,  and  that  Fremont 
ought  to  send  out  a  column  for  the  pur 
pose  of  intercepting  and  capturing  them.  I 
asked  him  how  many  men  Fremont  had  in  St. 
Louis.  He  said  he  had  twenty  thousand  men, 
and  spoke  with  great  positiveness  as  to  the 
number.  I  thought  if  that  was  correct  there 
was  no  excuse  for  not  sending  them,  and  went 
to  headquarters  at  once  to  see  General  Fre 
mont.  I  told  him  it  was  represented  that  he 
had  twenty  thousand  men  at  St.  Louis,  that 
Price  was  marching  on  Lexington  with  a  large 


force,  and  urged  that  a  force  be  sent  without 
delay  to  cut  him  off.  He  replied  :  "  Mr.  COL 
FAX,  I  will  tell  you,  confidentially,  how  many 
men  we  have  in  St.  Louis,  though  I  would  not 
have  it  published  on  the  streets  for  my  life. 
The  opinion  in  the  city  is  that  we  have  twenty 
thousand  men  here,  and  this  gives  us  strength. 
If  it  were  known  here  what  was  the  actual 
number,  our  enemies  would  be  promptly  in 
formed.  But  I  will  show  you  how  many  there 
are."  He  rang  the  bell,  and  his  secretary 
brought  in  the  muster-rolls  of  the  morning.  I 
read  them,  and  there  were  in  the  city  and  for 
a  circuit  of  seven  miles  round,  less  than  eight 
thousand  men,  home  guards  and  all.  There 
were  actually  but  two  full  regiments,  and  the 
remainder  of  the  force  was  made  up  of  frag 
mentary  and  undisciplined  regiments  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty,  four  hundred,  and  six  hun 
dred  men.  It  was  a  beggarly  array  of  an  army 
in  proportion  to  what  was  needed  at  that  time 
for  the  defence  even  of  that  city  against  ene 
mies  without  or  within,  and  I  told  him  so. 
"  But,"  said  I,  "  can't  you  spare  some  of  these 
men  ?"  The  tears  stood  in  his  eyes  as  he 
handed  me  two  telegraphic  dispatches,  just  re 
ceived  by  him,  which  I  read  then  with  pain 
and  sadness,  and  will  read  now,  and  the  House 
can  judge  how  they  aided  him  in  his  plans  for 
the  reinforcement  of  Mulligan,  or  the  capture 
of  Price's  army : 

WASHINGTON,  September  14, 1861. 
To  Major  General  FREMONT  : 

On  consultation  wish  the  President  and  he'd  of  Depart 
ment,  it  was  determined  to  call  upon  you  for  five  thousand 
well-armed  infantry,  to  be  sent  here  without  a  moment's 
de-lay.  G/ve  them  three  days  cooked  rations.  This  iruft 
from  your  forces  to  be  replaced  by  you  f<oin  the  States  of 
Illinois,  Iowa,  Kansas,  &c.  How  many  men  have  you  un 
der  arms  in  your  district  ?  Please  answer  fully  and  imme 
diately  SIMON  CAMERON, 

Secretary  of  War.. 

WASHINGTON,  September  14, 1861. 
To  Major  General  FREMONT  : 

Detach  five  thousand  infantry  from  your  department,  to 
come  here  without  delay,  and  report  the  number  of  the 
troops  that  will  be  left  with  you.    The  President  dictates. 
WINi'IELD  SCOTT. 

I  have  shown  you  before  that  there  were  reg- 
ments  there  waiting,  without  guns,  and  yet, 
when,  under  the^e  desperate  circumstances, 
jreneral  Fremont  bought  guns,  the  best  he 
could  get,  he  was  denounced  because  they  were 
not  Springfield  muskets  or  Enfield  rifles,  or  the 
>est  arms  known  to  the  service.  He  was  not 
allowed  to  send  unarmed  regiments,  to  be  arm 
ed  after  they  reached  Washington,  or  on  the 
road.  From  these  he  could  have  filled  the  or 
der  easily.  But  they  must  be  "  well-armed 
n  fan  try."  And  he  had  been  begging  for  ''  arms, 
irms  of  any  kind,"  the  whole  fifty  days  he  had 
hen  been  in  command  in  the  West,  but  mostly 
n  vain.  And  now,  "  five  thousand  well-armed 
nfantry  "  were  needed,  "  without  a  moment's 
elay,"  to  swell  the  forces  of  the  army  of  the 
5otomac.  I  do  not  allude  to  this  to  criticise, 
jike  Fremont,  I  believe  the  capital  of  the 
ountry  was,  first  of  all,  to  be  defended ;  but  if 


10 


he  was  foiled  in  his  plans  by  demands  like  these, 
at  such  a  critical  moment,  impartial  history 
hereafter  will  show  that  it  was  his  misfortune, 
not  his  fanlt- 

Mr.  BINGHAM.  What  is  the  date  of  those 
dispatches  ? 

Mr.  COLFAX.  Saturday,  the  14th  of  Sep 
tember  ;  the  very  day  I  was  there — just  six 
days  before  the  fall  of  Lexington — for  I  wish 
the  House  to  remember  that  Mulligan  surren 
dered  Friday,  September  20.  I  asked  him  what 
he  would  do,  and  my  heart  sank  as  I  asked. 
Here  was  the  best  of  his  forces  ordered  away 
to  Washington.  I  told  him  I  would,  if  in  his 
place,  telegraph  to  Mr.  Lincoln  that  he  had 
not  the  eighty  thousand  efficient  soldiers  in  his 
department  that  rumor  stated  he  had  ;  that 
Missouri  would  be  lost  if  the  troops  were  taken 
away.  ^  No,"  said  he,  "that  would  be  insub 
ordination,  with  which  I  have  already  been 

unjustly  charged.     The  capital  must  be  again 

in  danger,  and  must  be  saved,  even  if  Missouri 

fall  and  I  sacrifice  myself." 

After  that  interview,  after  the   noble    and 

patriotic  sentiment   that   fell   from  his  lips,  I 

should  have  been  false  to  my  convictions  of  right 

and  justice,  if  I  ha$  not  stood  up  here  to-day 

and  ^  defended  the   man  who  was  willing,  even 

at  his  own  sacrifice,  to  save  the  capital  of  the 

nation. 

Mr.  BLAIR,  of  Missouri.     The   gentleman 

says  Genpral  Fremont  on  that  day  took  out  the 

muster-rolls,  and  showed  him  how  many  troops 

there  were  at  St.  Louis. 

Mr.  COLFAX.     Yes,   sir;  less   than 

thousand. 

Mr.  BLAIR,   of  Missouri.      It  so  happens 

that  on  that  same  day — the  14th  of  September 

—General  Fremont  returned  to  Simon  Cameron, 

Secretary   of  War,  the  following  statement  of 

the  forces  under  his  command  : 

St.  Louis,  (including  tome  guarl) . . . 

Under  Brigadier  General  Pope, (including  home  guard) 

Lexington,  (including home  guard).... 

Jefferson  City,  (one-quarter  home  guard) 

Rolla 

Trenton '.'.'.'.'.'." 

Cape  'Jirardeau.. '.'.'.'.'. 

Bird's  Point  and  Norfolk. . . '. '. ".'".' '. 

Cairo,  (including  McClernand's  brigade')' 

Fort  Holt,  opposite  Cairo, Kentucky  shore"  ' 

Paducah 

Under  General'  Lane' 

Mound  City,  near  Cairo... 


eight 


5,483 
2,400 
9,677 
4,700 
3,057 

650 
3,510 
4,826 
3,595 
7,791 
2,200 

900 

55,693 

Thus  you  will  see  that  there  were  some  twenty 
thousand  men  at  and  about  Cairo  ;  and  you 
will  further  see,  by  reference  to  the  documents, 
that,  under  the  order  the  gentleman  has  read, 
not  a  man  was  sent  out  of  Missouri,  and  but 
two  regiments  were  started  from  his  department 
at  all.  Two  regiments,  I  believe,  left  his  depart 
ment,  and  went  as  far  as  General  Buell's  depart 
ment,  and  went  no  further.  The  order  was 
Countermanded,  and  no  more  troops  sent.  The 
two  regiments  started  were,  I  believe,  Illinois 
troops  m  or  about  Cairo  and  Paducah.  General 


Fremont  did  not  send  a  man  out  of  Missouri, 
I  repeat,  under  that  order,  and  he  was  not  re 
quired  to  do  it.  So  that  the  explanation'which  the 
gentleman  gives,  and  which  General  Fremont 
gives,  by  way  of  excusing  himself  for  not  send 
ing  reinforcements  to  Colonel  Mulligan,  about 
this  order  to  send  five  thousand  men  to  Wash 
ington,  amounts  to  just  this :  that  no  troops 
were  sent  to  Washington  at  all  under  that  order  ; 
only  two  regiments  were  sent  from  his  depart 
ment  under  it,  and  none  from  Missouri  un 
der  it. 

Mr.  COLFAX.  The  gentleman  from  Mis 
souri  occupied  two  hours  in  his  speech,  and  he 
has  taken  a  considerable  portion  of  my  time 
since.  I  shall  only* ask  to  be  allowed  to  go  on 
after  the  expiration  of  my  hour  for  the  time 
that  has  been  taken  from  me  ;  and  I  do  not 
know  that  the  committee  will  give  me  that, 
[cries  of  t(  Oh,  yes  !"]  I  presume  a  majority  of 
the  committee  will  give  their  consent,  but  a 
single  member  has  the  power  to  prevent  it. 

I  will  enlighten  my  friend  from  Missouri  now 
on  the  point  he  has  cited.  When  this  order 
came  to  send  five  regiments  to  Washington, 
General  Fremont  sent  down  to  Carondelet  and 
ordered  the  twenty-fourth  Indiana  regiment, 
one  of  the  only  two  full  regiments  he  had  in  St. 
Louis  or  its  vicinity,  to  proceed  to  Washington, 
but  the  officers  of  the  regiment  came  up  to  his 
headquarters  and  urged  him  to  allow  them  to 
remain  in  Missouri ;  and  that  is  the  reason  they 
did  not  go.  He  then  changed  the  order,  and 
like  a  faithful  subordinate  he  telegraphed  to 
Washington  that  he  was  preparing  to  obey  the 
order — although  it  made  his  heart  bleed.  Here 
are  the  dispatches  :  * 

HEADQUARTERS  WESTERN  DEPARTMENT, 

ST.  Lot-is,  September  14,  1861. 
To  Colonel  E.  D.  TOW.VSEND,  A.  'A.  G.,  Washington  City  : 

I  am  preparing  to  obey  the  orders  received  this  evening 
for  the  five  regiments.  J.  C  FREMO\T, 

Major  General  Commanding. 

HEADQUARTERS  WESTERN  DEPARTMENT 

ST.  Loris,  September  14,  1S61. 
To  General  THOMAS,  A.  G.,  Washington  City  : 

I  am  preparing  to  obey  the  orders  received  this  even'ng 
from  the  Secretary  of  War  for  the  five  regiments.  I  a!so  send 
messenger.  J.  C.  FREMONT, 

Major  General  Commanding. 

True,  as  the  gentleman  from  Missouri  says, 
the  order  was  at  last  partially  countermanded ; 
but,  when  days  were  almost  years,  he  was  en 
gaged  in  preparations  for  sending  on  three  more 
regiments  of  "well-armed  infantry,"  besides  the 
two  he  did  send,  for  FOUR  DAYS  out  of  the  six 
that  elapsed  between  the  order  from  Washing 
ton  and  the  fall  of  Lexington ;  and  engaged 
besides  in  the  most  vigorous  attempts,  out  of 
his  scattered  forces  in  the  vast  area  of  disloyal 
territory  they  were  holding,  from  Paducah  to 
the  Kansas  frontier,  to  reinforce  the  imperilled  • 
Mulligan.  Here  is  the  countermanding  order, 
after  four  days  and  nights  of  anxious  labors  to 
omply  both  with  duty  on  one  side  and  orders 
on  the  other,  for  which  his  reward  has  been  a 
sad  one  indeed: 


11 


To  Major  Gen.  FREMONT  : 


WASHINGTON,  September  18, 1801. 


General  Scott  acquiesces  to  your  wishes  in  your  prop 
osition  to  retain  troops  not  already  forwarded.  Ho  has  tel 
egraphed  order  to  retain  the  two  regiments  which  have  left 
for  Cincinnati  to  wait  orders  for  a  few  days,  if  they  have  not 
passed  beyond  that  city. 

E.  D.  TOWXSEND. 

Let  us  return  to  Mulligan's  peril.  Thinking 
there  might  still  be  hope  of  obtaining  reinforce 
ments  by  appealing  to  the  Governors  of  States 
near  at  hand,  for,  if  they  could  send  troops  im 
mediately  to  St.  Louis,  he  could  order  up  all 
his  available  forces  there  by  steamboat  toward 
Lexington,  he  telegraphed,  on  this  very  14th  of 
September,  to  Governor  Morton  and  Governor 
Dennison,  of  Indiana  and  Ohio,  for  help.  And 
these  are  the  replies,  (Mr.  Coggeshall  was  Gov 
ernor  Dennison's  military  secretary :) 

INDIANAPOLIS,  September  14, 1861. 

"We  have  received  orders  to  send  all  available  forces  to 
Washington. 

0.  P.  MORTON,  Governor  of  Indiana. 

COLUMBUS,  OHIO,  September  15, 1861. 

No  troops  are  ordered  to  *-  astern  Virginia.    All  our  troops 
are  ordered  to  Western  Virginia.  Dennison  is  in  Washington. 
W.  T.  COGGESHALL. 

His  only  remaining  hope  was  in  his  own  men, 
his  scattered  forces,  to  weaken  himself  at  some 
points  on  his  long  line  to  save  Lexington,  if 
possible.  And  what  did  he  do  ?  My  friend 
says— and  I  have  his  exact  words — "  it  cannot 
be  shown  that  he  moved  one  single  man  towards 
Lexington  at  all."  Lexington  fell  on  Friday, 
the  20th  of  September.  I  shall  remember  the 
day  to  the  last  hour  of  my  life  ;  for  I  watched, 
as  did  my  constituents,  day  by  day  and  hour  by 
hour  for  news  from  there,  with  a  solicitude  that 
excluded  all  thought  of  all  other  questions. 

General  Fremont  telegraphed  in  every  direc 
tion.  He  ordered  General  Pope  to  come  down 
to  Lexington  and  reinforce  Mulligan  there ;  he 
ordered  General  Sturgis  to  come  down  and  rein 
force  him;  he  ordered  Jefferson  C.  Davis,  of 
Indiana,  acting  brigadier  general  at  Jefferson 
City,  to  go  forward  and  reinforce  him.  He  used 
every  means  in  his  power.  The  telegraphic 
wires  were  hot  with  his  dispatches,  sent  in 
every  direction,  to  secure  the  reinforcement 
of  Mulligan.  See  the  columns  of  them  of  these 
eventful  days  in  the  official  dispatches,  at  last 
published  in  the  New  York  Tribune,  and  which 
attest  his  sleepless  energy  so  strikingly.  Now, 
four  days  before  Mulligan  surrendered,  see 
what  General  Pope  telegraphs : 

PALMYRA,  September  16, 1861. 
To  Major  General  FREMONT  : 

Fnun  paper  just  handed  me,  I  learn,  for  the  first  time, 
that  important  matters  are  occurring  at  Lexington.  The 
troops  I  sent  to  Lexington  will  be  there  the  day  after  to-morrow, 
and  consist  of  two  full  regiments  of  infantry,  four  pieces  of 
artillery,  and  150  irregular  horse.  These,  with  the  two  Ohio 
regiments,  which  will  reach  there  on  Thursday,  will  make  a 
reinforcement  of  4,000  men  and  four  pieces  of  artillery.  Do 
you  wish  me  to  come  down  to  St.  Louis,  or  go  to  Canton 
and  Keokuk  to  finish  matters  in  this  section?  The  follow 
ing  force  along  this  road  at  Hannibal  :  At  Kansas,  430  ;  at 
Palmyra,  320  of  twentieth  Illinois  ;  at  Hudson,  4:20  of  Tas 
ter's  men  ;  at  Brookfield,  650  of  Morgan's  regiment ;  at  *t 
Joseph,  coming  east,  3,000  Iowa  and  Missouri  irregular 
troops.  Please  answer  to  Quincy. 

JOHN  POPE,  Brigadier  General. 


So  that  General  Fremont  had  the  promise, 
that  on  the  18th,  two  days  before  Lexington 
actually  fell,  two  full  regiments,  four  cannon, 
and  one  hundred  and  fifty  cavalry  should  suc 
cor  the  brave  garrison  there  holding  out,  and 
that  by  Thursday,  the  19th,  one  day  before 
Mulligan  surrendered,  the  reinforcement  irom 
Pope's  forces  for  Lexington  should  be  increased 
still  further,  to  four  thousand  men.  That  they 
did  not  arrive  there  and  save  it,  is  not  Fre 
mont's  fault,  then. 

Nor  was  this  all.  On  the  13th  of  September, 
the  day  before  I  arrived  there,  it  was  supposed 
at  St.  Louis  that  Price's  advance  threatened 
Booneville  ;  and  Fremont  telegraphed  General 
Sturgis,  then  in  north  Missouri,  as  follows : 

HEADQUARTERS  WESTERN  DEPARTMENT, 

St.  Louis,  September  13,  1861. 

SIR  :  Information  having  been  received  at  these  head 
quarters  of  an  intended  attack  on  Booneville,  you  arc  hereby 
ordered  to  move  at  once  by  the  shortest  possible  route,  and 
witb  all  practicable  speed,  direct  to  that  place  with  your 
force  of  .infantry  and  artillery. 

J.  C.  FREMONT, 
Major  General  Commanding. 
To  Brigadier  General  STURGIS,  Mexico. 

But  on  the  eventful  14th  of  September  it  was 
discovered  that  the  attack  would  probably  be  on 
Lexington,  and  he  telegraphed  again  to  Stur 
gis,  as  follows : 

HEADQUARTERS  WESTERN  DEPARTMENT, 

St.  Louis,  September  14,  1861. 

SIR  :  You  are  hereby  directed  to  move,  via  Utica,  with 
all  practicable  speed,  to  Lexington,  on  the  Missouri  river, 
with  your  force  of  infantry  and  artillery.  You  will  send 
back  the  three  companies  of  the  Fremont  hussars,  under 
Captain  Blum,  to  St.  Louis. 

The  most  practicable  route  from  Utica  to  Lexington  for 
you  will  be  by  Austinville.  Finneys'  Grove,  and  Morton. 

J.  C.FREM  "NT.  _ 
Major  General  Commanding. 
To  Brigadier  General  STURGIS,  Mexico. 

On  the  13th,  he  twice  telegraphs  to  'Acting 
Brigadier  General  Jeff.  C.  Davis,  at  Jefferson 
City,  to  send  forward  two  regiments  to  strengthen 
Lexington,  and  says,  "move  promptly."  On 
the  14th  he  telegraphs  him  that  he  is  sending 
him  up  regiments  and  batteries  from  St.  Louis, 
while  he  also  notifies  the  Department  at  Wash 
ington  that  they  should  have  the  five  regiments 
they  demanded  from  him — two  from  St.  Louia, 
two  from  Cairo  and  vicinity,  and  one  from  Illi 
nois — absolutely  stripping1  himself  in  St.  Louis 
of  every  means  of  defence  to  comply  with  these 
wants  in  every  direction.  Not  content  with 
issuing  orders,  you  find  nearly  half  a  dozen  the 
same  day  to  the  same  officer,  urging  celerity, 
energy,  rapid  movement.  No  man  living  could 
have  done  more.  I  add  here  the  official  dis 
patch  to  Jeff.  C.  Davis  : 

HEADQUARTERS  WESTERN  DEPARTMENT, 

St.  Louis,  September  14,  1861. 

SIR  :  As  a  column  of  the  enemy's  force  is  moving  upon 
Lexington,  you  art'  herebv  directed  Immediately  t>>  order 
two  of  th"  regiments  under  your  command  to  the  reinforce 
ment  of  that  place.  Orders  hav<>  already  been  Issued  to  two 
regiments  in  this  city  to  proceed  to  Jefferson  City,  and  re- 
inform  your  command. 

Brigadier  General  Sturgis,  now  at  Mexico,  will  i'lso  re 
pair  to  Lexington  with  his  entire  force  of  infantry  and  a 


12 


battery  of  artillery.    On  his  arrival,  he  will  assume  com- 

J.  C.  FREMONT, 
Major  General  Commanding. 
To  Colonel  JEFF.  C.  DAVIS, 

Colonel  Commanding  at  Jefferson  City. 

Now,  let  us  examine  what  was  done.  Pope's 
reinforcements  did  not  arrive  ;  General  Sturgis 
did  come  to  a  point  near  the  river  on  the  oppo 
site  side  from  Lexington  j  and  I  have  the  testi 
mony  of  Colonel  Mulligan  himself  that  if  he 
had  ac  ually  come  within  sight  with  his  forces 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  Price  had  got 
so  tired  of  fighting,  the  defence  had  been  so 
persistent  and  unyielding,  that  he  would  have 
retired,  notwithstanding  his  force  of  twenty 
thousand  men,  with  eight  brigadier  generals, 
besieging  one  colonel  of  the  Union  forces.  But 
the  evidence  is,  that  Sturgis  carne  down  to  a 
point  within  a  few  miles  of  the  river,  and  learn 
ing  that  the  ferry-boats  had  been  destroyed, 
and  that,  therefore,  it  was  impossible  for  him 
to  cross  the  river,  and  learning  from  a  contra 
band — for  they  were  permitted  then  to  come 
within  our  lines  and  give  information  as  to 
rebel  movements — that  Price's  force  was  twenty 
to  twenty-five  thousand,  deemiag  that  he  had 
not  a  force  sufficient  to  meet  them,  as  he  had 
not,  he  retired.  Fremont,  however,  supposed 
that,  by  four  days  after  his  order  to  him,  he 
would  have  reached  Lexington ;  and  on  the 
18th — two  days  before  Lexington  fell — he  sent 
orders  to  him  at  that  point. 

Jefferson  C.  Davis,  upon  the  reception  of 
General  Fremont's  orders,  embarked  as  soon 
as  possible — for  it  takes  time— his  available 
force  upon  some  steamboats ;  and  they  pro 
ceeded  up  the  river  to  a  place  called  jGlasgow, 
where,  learning  that  the  rebels  had  erected  bat 
teries,  they  landed  for  the  purpose  of  storming 
them  before  proceeding  under  their  fire;  and 
in  the  darkness  of  the  night  they  fired  into  each 
other,  and  being  thrown  into  confusion,  they 
did  not  get  to  Lexington  in  time  to  reinforce 
Colonel  Mulligan. 

These  three  forces  from  different  directions, 
then,  set  out  under  the  orders  of  General  Fre 
mont  to  reinforce  the  gallant  defenders  of  Lex 
ington,  and  he  failed  in  accomplishing  that 
purpose  because  the  elements  seemed  to  be 
against  him,  and  not  because  he  did  not  seek 
in  every  possible  way  to  succor  that  besieged 
garrison.  His  dispatches  to  his  secret  agents 
are  not,  of  course,  published ;  but  a  reply  from 
one  of  them,  Charles  Noyes,  says  that  Sturgis 
was  expected  to  reach  Lexington  the  Wednes 
day  night  before  the  surrender,  and  General 
Lane  the  Thursday  night  before.  B^ate  seemed 
to  prevent  these  reinforcements,  not  the  inac 
tivity  or  indifference  of  Fremont. 

Now,  to  appreciate  the  difficulties  General 
Fremont  had  to  contend  with  in  bringing  any 
considerable  number  of  men  to  any  one  point, 
you  must  remember  the  extended  frontier,  and 
the  large  number  of  posts  he  had  to  defend. 
Troops  were  stationed,  and  had  to  be,  not  only 


at  St.  Louis  and  Cairo,  but  all  through  north 
Missouri,  at  Lexington,  at  Jefferson  City,  at 
Rolla,  at  Ironton,  at  Cape  Girardeau,  at  Bird's 
Point,  at  Fort  Holt,  opposite  Cairo,  at  Norfolk, 
at  Mound  City,  at  Paducah,  and  many  other 
points.  Judge  Blair  testifies  how  difficult  it 
was  for  him,  here,  at  the  capital,  and  with  the 
influence  wielded  by  a  member  of  the  Cabinet, 
to  obtain  any  attention  to  Western  interests,  or 
compliance  with  Western  requisitions.  But  Fre 
mont,  with  troops  constantly  ordered  away  from 
him,  with  a  plentiful  lack  of  guns,  with  credit 
impaired,  if  not  ruined,  by-  the  possibility  of 
his  removal,  (and  since  then  these  creditors 
have  seen  their  claims  delayed  for  months,  till 
examined  by  a  board  of  commissioners,  and 
even  still  unpaid,)  was  expected  to  organize 
victory,  and  triumph  over  every  adverse  circum 
stance. 

But  let  us  look  further,  and  see  what  was  the 
condition  of  affairs  when  Price  marched  upon 
Lexington.  Why,  sir,  at  the  very  time  when 
Price,  with  from  fifteen  to  twenty  thousand 
men,  was  threatening  Lexington,  McCulloch 
was  threatening  Rolla  and  Jefferson  City,  Har- 
dee  was  threatening  Ironton,  in  southeast  Mis 
souri,  and  Polk  and  Pillow,  with  a  number  of 
troops,  estimated  at  twenty  to  twenty-six  thou 
sand,  were  down  at  Columbus,  threatening  our 
inferior  forces  at  Cairo  ;  and  in  addition  to  that, 
there  were  the  forces  of  Jeff.  Thompson,  Martin 
Green,  and  other  guerrilla  bands  ;  and  there 
were  organized  bands  of  rebels  in  every  county 
in  the  State.  The  State  was  heaving  and 
seething  with  insurrection  under  his  feet,  and 
he  had  to  restore  it  to  its  loyalty.  All  this  Fre 
mont  had  to  encounter,  with  nearly  eighty 
thousand  rebels  threatening  all  these  exposed 
points,  with  the  disloyalists  at  their  homes,  and 
with  an  inadequate  force  to  meet  the  enemy. 
Sir,  a  responsibility  was  thrown  upon  him 
which  I  would  not  to-day  take  upon  my  shoul* 
ders  for  the  best  office  in  the  gift  of  the  Ameri 
can  people  or  of  the  world. 

THE    INVESTIGATING  COMMITTEE. 

While  he  was  struggling  nobly  to  perform 
his  duty,  from  every  side  came  the  poisoned 
arrows  of  calumny,  and  the  ex  parte  te&timony 
of  the  investigating  committee  of  this  House, 
charging  him  with  connivance  with  contractors 
to  plunder  the  Treasury.  I  regret  to  have  to 
allude  to  their  course,  for  every  member  of  the 
committee,  I  believe  and  hope,  is  my  personal 
friend. 

Sir,  I  have  learned  to  look  with  some  dis 
trust  upon  ex  parte  testimony.  I  recollect  that 
when  my  friend  from  Ohio,  [Mr.  SHERMAN,] 
who  now  occupies  a  seat  at  the  other  end  of 
the  Capitol,  was  at  the  head  of  a  committee  sit 
ting  in  judgment  upon  the  then  Secretary  of 
the  Navy,  Mr.  Toucey,  they  wrote  to  Secretary 
Toucey,  as  I  found  in  re-reading  their  report 
recently,  that  they  were  going  to  examine  into 
the  live  oak  contract  and  other  matters,  and 


13 


that  lie  would  be  welcome  to  come  and  listen 
to  the  evidence  j  and  subsequently,  when  they 
had  taken  the  evidence  of  eight  witnesses,  they 
had  a  correct  copy  of  it  made  and  sent  it  to  Sec 
retary  Toucey,  with  a  respectful  letter,  offering 
to  subposna  any  witnesses  he  might  desire  to 
have  called ;  and  when  subsequent  witnesses 
appeared  before  them,  they  took  the  same 
course.  This  was  an  example  of  impartiality 
towards  a  political  opponent  worthy  of  admira 
tion  and  imitation. 

Let  me  add,  also,  what  is  well  known  to  this 
House,  that  when  the  celebrated  investigating 
committee,  presided  over  by  my  friend  from 
Pennsylvania,  [Mr.  COVODE,]  were  engaged  ic 
the  labor  of  exposing  the  corruptions  of  Mr. 
Buchanan's  administration-,  their  chairman  was 
careful  to  furnish  promptly,  not  only  to  the 
President,  but  also  to  his  Cabinet  ministers, 
copies  of  all  testimony  implicating  them,  thus 
giving  them  an  opportunity  of  knowing  what 
was  charged  against  them,  of  disproving  the 
charges  if  incorrect,  or  of  explaining  them 
away  if  they  were  susceptible  of  explanation. 
But  how  was  it  in  the  case  of  Fremont  ?  I 
undertake  to  say,  and  history  proves  it,  that 
while  Fremont  was  out  hunting  the  enemy, 
some  persons — not  the  committee,  perhaps, 
but  his  enemies  in  St.  Louis — were  hunting  up 
witnesses  against  him  to  have  ex  parte  testi 
mony  taken  there ;  and  no  sooner  was  it  taken, 
while  he  was  still  in  the  face  of  the  foe  en 
deavoring  to  obtain  victory  for  our  arms  and 
periling  his  life  for  his  country,  a  synopsis 
of  these  ex  parte  statements  w_as  given  by 
some  one  to  some  newspaper  correspondent, 
and  sent  upon  the  wires  all  over  the  country, 
so  as  to  poison  the  public  mind  against  the 
commander  of  the  de*partment  of  the  West, 
and  assist  in  achieving  his  overthrow.  Sir, 
I  think  that  in  common  justice,  in  common 
humanity — if  there  are  such  things  as  jus 
tice  and  husaanity — when  he  returned,  a  de 
posed  general,  the  committee  might,  if  they 
did  not  see  fit  to  do  so  before,  have  sent  him 

-  the  adverse  evidence,  which  up  to  this  hour 
they  have  never  done,  and  said  to  him  :  "  Sir, 
before  you  were  sent  to  this  department  you 
were  supposed  to  be  an  honest  man,  but  this 
testimony  clouds  your  character.  It  was  taken 
in  your  absence;  if  you  have  any  vindication 
or  defence  to  offer,  we  will  subpoena  your  wit 
nesses,  and  give  their  testimony  to  the  world 
in  company  with  that  taken  against  you  while 
you  were  in  the  field."  But  no;  the  tes 
timony  was  never  sent  to  him,  and  he  -has 
never  seen  it,  unless  some  member  of  the 
House  ere  this  has  lent  him  a  copy ;  he  has 
had  no  official  information  concerning  it. 

My  friend  from  Missouri  says  that  Fremont 
has  %3t  demanded  a  trial.     I  wish  to  ask  him 

if  he  did  not  make  charges   against  General 
Fremont  before  the  late  Secretary  of  War,  Mr. 
Cameron? 
Mr.  BLAIR,  of  Missouri.     Certainly. 


Mr  COLFAX.  Then  I  wish  to  say  this  : 
that  if  Secretary  Cameron,  the  Minister  of  War, 
thought  those  charges  worthy  of  consideration, 
it  was  his  duty  to  have  put  Fremont  on  trial. 
I  wish  to  ask  my  friend  now,  if  he  has  not  also* 
made  charges  against  General  Fremont  before 
the  present  Secretary  of  War  ? 

Mr.  BLAIR,  of  Missouri.  I  preferred  char 
ges  against  him  at  the  time,  and  the  gentleman 
knows  very  well  that  I  have  preferred  no  charges 
since  ;  but  I  know  that  the  Judge  Advocate 
has  preferred  charges  since. 

Mr.  COLFAX.  Then,  if  the  present  Secre 
tary  of  War  deems  them  worthy  of  investiga 
tion,  it  is  his  duty  to  order  a  trial.  General 
Fremont  has  the  same  right  as  the  meanest  and 
wickedest^  man  in  the  country  has — the  right 
to  meet  his  accusers  face  to  face,  and  to  stand 
up  in  his  own  defence,  and  vindicate  himself 
against  these  charges. 

My  friend  was  arrested  by  General  Fremont, 
and  I  feel  authorized  to  say  that  I  went  to 
Fremont  at  the  time  and  remonstrated  with 
him,  and  spoke  in  terms  of  condemnation  of 
his  arrest  of  my  friend  as  being  unwise  and 
wrong  ;  that  the  country  would  regard  it  as  the 
result  of  a  personal  quarrel,  &c.  Sincerely  the 
friend  of  both,  I  desired,  if  possible,  to  restore 
friendly  relations  between  them.  It  was  during 
the  dark  days  of  which  I  have  spoken ;  but 
General  Fremont  replied  that  it  was  for  insub 
ordination  ;  that  he  could  not  expect  subordi 
nation  in  others,  if,  on  account  of  my  friend's 
influence  and  power,  which  he  did  not  under 
rate,  he  passed  his  by  in  silence.  Still,  I  deeply 
regretted  it.  But  when  my  friend  was  dischar 
ged  by  order  of  General  Scott,  did  hef  think  it 
necessary  for  his  character- that,  after  having 
been  thus  discharged,  he  should  still  insist  on 
a  trial  ? 

Mr.  BLAIR,  of  Missouri.  Yes,  sir;  and  I 
did  demand  a  trial. 

Mr.  COLFAX.  But  none  was  had.  Then, 
if  my  friend  has  made  charges  against  General 
Fremont,  and  the  War  Department,  either 
under  Mr.  Cameron  or  Mr.  Stanton,  deemed 
the  charges  such  as  substantially  affect  his 
present  rank,  it  was  their  duty  to  arraign  him 
and  put  him  on  trial. 

Mr.  BLAIR,  of  Missouri.  Charges  have  been 
preferred  against  him  by  the  proper  officer  of 
the  Government — the  judge  advocate  of  the 
United  States. 

Mr.  WADSWORTH  asked  a  question  in 
reference  to  the  contract  for  the  fortificationi 
of  St.  Louis,  which  was  inaudible  at  the  re 
porters'  desk. 

Mr.  COLFAX.  I  am  speaking  now,  not  on 
dollars  and  cents,  but  to  vindicate  the  history 
of  the  past ;  but  I  will  answer  the  gentleman 
from  Kentucky  as  follows  :  I  said  at  the  open 
ing  of  my  remarks,  if  the  gentleman  had  been 
kind  enough  to  listen  to  me,  which  I  suppose 
he  did  not,  that  I  did  not  defend  the  fortification 
contract,  nor  did  I  deem  it  wise  or  economical. 


14 


Mr.  WADSWORTH.  I  heard  the  gentle 
man  say  so. 

Mr.  GOLF  AX.  I  am  not  called  upon  to 
defend  that  contract,  but  in  justice  to  General 
Fremont,  it  ought  to  be  stated  that  the  con 
tractor  offered,  if  the  work  could  be  done  by 
day  only,  instead  of  day  and  night  uninterrupt 
edly,  when  he  would  have  to  pay  extra  for  night 
work,  to  do  it  for  sixty  per  cent,  less ;  but  Fre 
mont  said,  "  time  is  worth  more  than  money ; 
do  the  work  immediately,  with  all  the  force  you 
can  put  on,  working  night  and  day  " — for  he 
was  just  then  preparing  for  his  march  against 
Price.  He  needed  all  available  troops,  and, 
with  the  fortifications,  he  could  leave  St.  Louis 
with  a  smaller  force  for  its  defence. 

But  I  want  now  to  put  a  question  to  the  gen 
tleman,  argumentum  ad  hominum,  as  he  has 
opened  this  question.  Suppose  you  find  that 
some  claim  has  passed  this  Congress  which 
everybody  concedes  to  be  entirely  wrong  and 
inexcusable;  and  suppose  some  man  looking 
over  the  Globe  finds,  on  the  list  of  yeas  and 
nays  on  the  vote  by  which  that  money  was  im 
properly  taken  out  of  the  Treasury,  that  Mr. 
WADSWORTH  voted  for  it,  and  arraigns  him  be 
fore  the  people  for  it.  This,  on  exparte  evi 
dence,  would  look  badly.  Here  is  a  cheating 
claim  on  the  Treasury,  the  people  would  say, 
and  the  claimant  gets  his  money  out  of  our 
Treasury  by  the  direct  aid  and  consent  of  our 
Representative's  vote.  But  there  are  two  sides 
to  it.  The  gentleman  from  Kentucky  rises  and 
says,  "  Does  not  my  defamer  know  that  the 
Committee  of  Claims  reported  favorably  upon 
that  claim,  and  that  it  is  the  custom  of  members 
of  Congress  to  follow  the  report  of  the  Commit 
tee  of  Claims,  in  cases  which  they  have  closely 
scrutinized,  and  against  which  they  themselves 
see  no  objection  ?"  And  when  the  gentleman 
has  thus  been  heard  in  his  defence,  everybody 
says  that,  although  he  voted  for  the  claim,  he 
is  acquitted,  because  his  explanation  is  satis 
factory.  That  is  the  only  fair  way  to  try  a  man. 
Strike,  but  hear  before  you  strike.  If  Fremont 
shall  prove  that  he  made  this  contract  to  carry 
on  the  work  day  and  night  until  its  completion, 
upon  the  advice  of  engineers  and  men  experi 
enced  in  work  of  this  kind,  it  will  be  at  leasi 
some  palliation  of  it,  just  as  the  gentleman's 
vote  in  favor  of  a  bad  claim,  on  the  recocamen 
dation  of  the  proper  committee,  would  palliate 
it.  I  do  not  know  what  General  Fremont's  de 
fence  is.  I  have  not  asked  what  his  defence  is. 

Mr.  WADSWORTH.  The  case  which  the 
gentleman  puts  is  not  at  all  like  this  case.  It 
appears  that  Fremont  made  a  contract  with  an 
adventurer  of  the  name  of  Beard  for  earth 
works  and  embankments,  at  $2  50  per  cubic 
yard  for  removing  the  earth,  when  the  com 
mittee  tell  us  it  was  only  worth  sixty  cents  a 
cubic  yard — a  difference  of  $1  90. 

Now,  if  I  did  anything  of  that  sort  as  a  mem 
ber  of  Congress,  I  should  say  that  I  was  un 
worthy  of  holding  my  seat  here,  and  my  con 


stituents  would  be  justified  in  denouncing  my 
action  as  the  result  of  bribery  or  other  im 
proper  influence. 

Mr.  COLFAX.  I  am  reminded  by  a  friend 
near  me  that  General  Fremont,  in  his  letter  to 
Senator  WADE,  the  chairman  of  the  committee 
on  the  conduct  of  the  war,  explains  this  matter 
himself.  As  I  do  not  defend  these  contracts, 
deeming  them  too  costly,  though  I  may  err 
against  him  in  that,  I  will  let  him  make  the 
explanation  in  his  own  language. 

Mr.  WADSWORTH.  I  have  never  seen 
that  explanation. 

Mr.  COLFAX.  I  am  going  to  read  it  to 
you  : 

"  When  the  prices  for  his  work  were  under  discussion  and 
were  referred  to  me  by  General  McKinstry,  I  directed  this 
officer  to  reduce  them  to  what  was  just  and  reasonable  to 
both  parties,  having  reference  to  the  circumstances  under 
which  the  work  was  done,  and  the  extra  prices  that  had 
bean  paid,  so  as  to  le'ave  the  contractor  what  might  be 
strictly  a  fair  profit  on  his  labor,  and  his  decision,  whatever 
it  was,  was  approved  by  me.  For  cost  of  construction  and 
other  details  with  which  I  am  not  acquainted,  I  respectfully 
refer  the  committee  to  the  testimony  of  the  quartermaster 
and  the  contractor,  whom  I  have  asked  to  have  summoned. 

"  To  show  their  nature  and  value,  the  report  and  testimo 
ny  of  the  engineers,  who  planned  and  who  were  superin 
tending  the  work,  will  be  furnished  the  committee.  The  ob 
ject  aimed  at  was  the  completion  of  the  city  defences  in  the 
shortest  possible  time.  The  works  are  thoroughly  and 
well  built,  covering  and  comprehending  the  city  itself  and 
the  surrounding  country  on  a  length  of  about  ten  miles,  and 
the  total  cost  is,  I  think,  less  than  $300,000. 

"  In  my  judgment,  having  in  view  the  time  and  manner 
in  which  they  were  built,  the  money  was  well  applied,  and 
as  a  measure  of  expediency  and  policy,  it  was  fully  worth  to 
the  Government  what  it  cost." 

This  is  just  exactly  what  General  McClellan 
and  the  Secretary  of  War  do  every  day  in  the 
matter  of  ordnance,  and  a  thousand  other 
things.  If  Mr.  Stanton  attends  to  the  business 
of  his  department,  he  would  not  have  time  to 
look  after  the  details  of  all  the  contracts  that 
are  made  for  the  vast  service  of  that  depart 
ment.  He  regards  the  heads  of  bureaus  as  his 
legal  advisers  in  the  matter.  General  Fre 
mont  did  the  same  thing  with  the  heads  of  his — 
the  engineer  department,  quartermaster,  &c., 
&c.  All  over  the  country  General  Fremont 
has  been  held  responsible  for  what  General 
McKinstry  had  done.  He  never  appointed 
General  McKinstry,  nor  could  he  remove  him. 
McKinstry  was  appointed  by  the  last  Adminis 
tration,  and  continued  at  that  post  by  the  pres 
ent  one.  He  was  quartermaster  general  of 
that  post,  just  as  General  Meigs  is  Quarter 
master  General  of  the  United  States.  He  there 
fore  had  the  authority  to  do  this  thing. 

Mr.  STEVENS.  I  understand  'that  Mc 
Kinstry  is  a  good  officer,  and^was  appointed 
on  recommendations  of  an  influential  firm  do 
ing  business  partly  in  this  city  and  partly  in 
St.  Louis. 

Mr.  COLFAX.  As  I  said  before,  Mr  Chair- 
man,  I  have  not  attempted  to  arraign  anybody. 
I  have  not  arraigned  the  commanding  general 
of  the  army  of  the  Potomac,  or  any  Cabinet 
officer,  or  the  President,  or  anybody  else.  I 
have  only  gathered  together  the  facts  of  history, 
collected  these  official  documents  that  every 


15 


one  can  read,  and  laid  them  before  the  House  ; 
and  with  a  few  remarks  in  conclusion,  I  will 
relieve  my  fellow-members  from  listening  to  me 
further. 

The  CHAIRMAN.  The  gentleman  has  had 
consent  to  proceed  without  limitation  as  to 
time. 

Mr.  COLFAX.  I  will  not  take  advantage 
of  th$  good  nature  of  the  House.  When  Fre 
mont  was  superseded,  what  was  the  condition 
of  affairs  in  Missouri  ?  It  has  gone  into  his 
tory,  and  will  live  there  during  all  time,  his 
proudest  and  noblest  vindication.  The  whole 
State,  thanks  to  nis  energy,  was  more  tranquil 
on  that  day  than  was  Western  Virginia  or 
Kentucky  at  that  period — all  except  a  little 
corner  down  by  Arkansas,  and  an  United 
States  officer  in  uniform  could  ride  alone  from 
Springfield,  near  the  Arkansas  line,  to  St. 
Louis,  unmolested  and  unharmed  ;  that  was 
certainly  one  thing  not  to  his  discredit. 

In  the  second  place,  the  army  which  he  was 
heading  was  further  South  than  any  other 
army  oi  the  Union  on  that  day.  That  was  an 
other  good  sign. 

In  the  third  place,  it  was  headed  in  the  right 
direction — southward,  after  the  enemy.  That 
$tfas  still  another  good  sign.  He  may  be  a 
very  incompetent  general,  as  my  friend  insists, 
though  I  differ  widely  from  him  on  that  point ; 
but  it  took  three  months  after  his  supersedure 
to  get  things  back  to  just  the  point  where  he 
left  them,  saying  nothing  of  all  the  rebel  out 
rages  during  the  interim. 

In  the  fourth  place,  the  men  under  his  com 
mand  were  filled  with  loyalty  and  enthusiasm 
for  him.  If  he  had  been  this  imbecile,  this 
corrupt  man,  this  timid  man,  this  incompetent 
general,  they  would  have  scorned  and  despised 
him,  and  would  have  revolted  against  him.  The 
brave  life  guard  commanded  by  Zagonyi — who, 
my  friend  says,  won  no  victory  at  Springfield — 
performed  the  most  brilliant  achievement  of  the 
war  up  to  that  time,  and  lighted  up  the  horizon, 
after  long  months  of  inaction  and  reverse,  with 
the  glorious  illumination  of  that  act — the  pres 
age  of  future  triumphs  for  our  arms.  But  that 
charge  upon  the  enemy,  with  the  war  cry  of 
"Fremont  and  the  Union,"  cost  them  dearly. 
When  the  life  guard  came  back  to  St.  Louis, 
they  were  dismissed  from  service  "for  words  spo 
ken  at  Springfield."  They  were  refused  rations 
for  themselves ;  they  were  refused  forage  for  their 
horses  ;  they  were  treated  with  disapproval  and 
almost  contempt  "for  words  spoken  at  Spring 
field."  They  were  mustered  out  of  service  ; 
and  Zagonyi,  who  would  gladly  give  his  life  to 
make  another  such  charge  on  the  rebel  host, 


finds  noplace  open  for  him  in  the- armies  of 
the  Union.  They  had  dared  to  charge  upon 
the  enemy,  shouting  the  name  of  their  chief, 
whom,  perhaps,  they 

"  Loved,  not  wisely,  but  too  well." 
But  I  do  insist,  however  we  may  differ  as  to 
Fremont,  that  the  noble  band  who  hurled  them 
selves  on  ten  times  their  number,  drove  them 
before  them  by  their  impetuous  charge,  and 
planted  the  starry -banner  of  the  Union  on  the 
court-house  spire  at  Springfield,  should  be  spo 
ken  ofon  this  floor  with  admiration  of  their 
heroism,  and  not  by  endeavoring  to  underrate 
their  brave  endeavor. 

In  the  fifth  place,  Fremontfhad  marched  his 
army  rapidly  after  the  enemy,  notwithstanding 
the  adjutant  general  of  the  United  States,  who 
had  seen  him  on  the  road,  said  he  could  not 
move  it  for  lack  of  transportation.  Mr.  Thur- 
low  Weed,  in  his  letter,  which  was  also  thrown 
in  the  scale  against  Fremont,  at  the  trying 
hour  when  his  supersedure  was  pending,  and 
he  himself  was  in  the  field,  said  the  same  thing 
— that  Fremont  had  got  to  the  Osage,  but  that 
he  could  not  progress  beyond  it,  and  that  it 
was  well  understood  at  Warsaw  he  did  not  in 
tend  to.  But,  sir,  the  man  who  scaled  the 
Rocky  Mountains  is  not  the  man  who  stands 
idle  "  for  lack  of  transportation."  He  threw  a 
bridge  across  the  Osage  river  in  thirty-six 
working  hours,  infusing  into  the  troops  the 
same  energy  that  has  characterized  his  whole 
life.  The  army  crossed,  and  proceeded  with 
forced  marches  on  after  the  enemy  in  the  right 
direction.  But  the  moment  came  that  he  was 
to  be  superseded,  and  then  he  fell. 

In  the  sixth  place,  whatever  charges  have 
been  made  that  he  unwisely  reposed  confidence 
in  certain  contractors,  not  even  his  bitterest 
enemies  have  intimated  that  a  single  dollar  of 
the  people's  money,  beyond  his  salary,  has  stuck 
to  his  fingers. 

In  the  seventh  and  last  place,  when  he  left 
the  State  of  Missouri,  all  the  railroads  of  the 
State  were  running  for  every  mile  of  their  length, 
and  to  their  full  capacity;  and  he  left  behind 
him  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis  a  monument  of  his 
good  sense,  if  not  of  his  genius,  in  making  a 
connection  of  all  the  railroads  at  the  levee,  so 
that  the  rolling  stock  of  all  three  could  be,  in 
.case  of  a  sudden  emergency,  used  on  any  one 
of  them.  That  closes  his  career  as  the  com 
mander  of  the  department  of  the  West;  and 
the  duty,  of  all  others,  the  most  grateful  to  me, 
vindicating  a  friend  in  the  hour  of  trial  and 
adversity,  having  been  performed,  it  only  re 
mains  for  me  to  thank  the  House  for  the  gen 
erous  extension  of  time  they  have  given  me. 


APPENDIX 


Fremont's  plan  last  September  for  tlie  Kentuclcy  and  Tennessee  campaign,  ivJiick  was  doubtless 
referred  by  the  President  to  the  General  commanding  : 


[PRIVATE.] 

HEADQUARTERS  WESTERN  DEPARTMENT, 

September  8,  1861. 
To  the  PRESIDENT^ 

MY  DEAR  SIR  :  I  send  by  another  hand  what 
I  ask  you  to  consider  in  respect  to  the  subject 
of  the  note  by  your  special  messenger. 

In  this  I  desire  to  ask  your  attention  to  the 
position  of  affairs  in  Kentucky.  As  the  rebel 
troops,  driven  out  from  Missouri,  had  invaded 
:<cky  in  considerable  force,  and  by  occu 
pying  Union  city,  Hickman,  and  Columbus, 
were  preparing  to  seize  Paducah  and  attack 
Cairo,  I  judged  it  impossible,  without  losing 
important  advantages,  to  defer  any  longer  a 
forward  movement.  For  this  purpose  I  have 
drawn  from  the  Missouri  side  a  part  of  the 
force  which  had  been  stationed  at  Bird's  Point, 
Cairo,  and  Cape  Girardeau,  to  Fort  Holt  and 
Paducah,  of  which  places  we  have  taken  pos 
session.*  As  the  rebel  forces  outnumbered 
ours,  and  the  counties  of  Kentucky  between 
the  Mississippi  and  Tennessee  rivers,  as  well  as 
those  along  the  latter  and  the  Cumberland,  are 
strongly  secessionist,  it  becomes  imperatively 
necessary  to  have  the  co-operation  of  the  loyal 
Union  forces  under  Generals  Anderson  and 
Nelson,  as  well  as  of  those  already  encamped 
opposite  Louisville,  under  Colonel  Rous 
seau.  I  have  reinforced,  yesterday,  Paducah 
with  two  regiments,  and  will  continue  to 
strengthen  the  position  with  men  and  artillery. 
As  soon  as  General  Smith,  who  commands 
there,  is  reinforced  sufficiently  for  him  to 
spread  his  forces,  he  will  have  to  take  and 
hold  May  field  and  Lo/elaceville,  to  be  in  the 
rear  and  flank  of  Columbus,  arid  to  occupy 
Smithland,  controlling  in  this  way  the  mouths 
of  both  the  Tennessee  and  the  Cumberland 
rivers.  At.  the  same  time,  Colonel  Rousseau 
should  bring  his  force,  increased,  if  possible, 
by  two  Ohio  regiments,  in  boats  to  Henderson, 
and,  taking  the  Henderson  and  Nashville 

*This  anticipated  the  rebels  a  few  days,  and  enabled  the 
United  States  forces  to  command  the  mouth  of  the  Ten- 
nesse  river. 


railroad,  occupy  Hopkinsville,  while  General 
Nelson  should  go  with  a  force  of  5,000  by  rail 
road  to  Louisville,  and  from  tnere  to  Bowling 
Green.* 

As  the  population  in  all  the  counties  through 
which  the  above  railroads  pass  are  loyal,  this 
movement  could  be  made  without  delay  or  mo 
lestation  to  the  troops.  Meanwhile,  Gen.  Grant 
would  take  possession  of  the  entire  Cairo  and 
Fulton  railroad,  Piketon,  New  Madrid,  and  the 
shore  of  the  Mississippi  opposite  Hicjcman  and 
Columbus.f  The  foregoing  disposition  having 
been  effected,  a  combined  attack  will  be  made 
upon  Columbus,  and  if  successful  in  that,  upon 
•  Hickraan,  while  Rousseau  and  Nelson  will  move 
in  concert,  by  railroad,  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  oc 
cupying  the  State  capital,  and,  with  an  adequate  | 
force,  New  Providence.  The  conclusion  of  this 
movement  would  be  a  combined  advance  to 
ward  Memphis,  on  the  Mississippi,  as  well  as 
the  Memphis  and  Ohio  railroad,  and  I  trust 
the  result  would  be  a  glorious  one  to  the  coun 
try.  IH  a  reply  to  a  letter  from  Gen.  Sherman, 
by  the  hand  of  Judge  Williams,  in  relation  to 
the  vast  importance  of  securing  possession  in 
advance  of  the  country  lying  between  the  Ohio, 
Tennessee,  and  Mississippi,  I  have  to-day  sug 
gested  the  first  part  of  the  preceding  plan.  By 
extending  my  command  to  Indiana,  Tennessee, 
and  Kentucky,  you  would  enable  me  to  attempt 
the  accomplishment  of  this  all-important  result : 
and  in  order  to  secure  the  secresy  necessary  to 
its  success,  I  shall  not  extend  the  communica 
tion  which  I  have  made  to  Gen.  Sherman,  or 
repeat  it  to  any  one  else. 

With  high  respect  and  regard, 

I  am,  very  truly,  yours, 

J.  C.  FREMONT. 


Gi'Ron  v.':i.:-  nut  thns  ocdimed  ;  I'.rH  wag  fub 
sequently  tak  uie  rebels,  who  advanced 

from  it  to  Muldraugh's  Hill,  where  they  threatened  Louis 
ville. 

f  New  Madrid  was  not  thus  occupied,  and  has  since  been 
held  by  the  rebels  ;  and  in  the  endeavor,  months  subsequent 
ly,  to  occupy  the  region  opposite  Columbus,  the  disaster 
of  Bclmont  occurred. 


WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 


SCAMMELL  &  C0.;  PRINTERS,  CORNER  OF  SECOND  &  INDIANA  AYENUE,  THIRD  FLOOR, 


1862. 


